Paranormal Attendants
by LotusHana
Summary: In a small town called Harima, live five ghosts in the Hinamori mansion. They serve their mistress: Amu Hinamori. Painful memories resurface and connections they never thought they had are revealed. Can she survive this never-ending cycle of pain? DEAD.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: When Amu's grandparents pass away, she is forced to look after their old mansion by her parents. When she arrives, she meets five hot boys who claim to be ghosts and are there to serve and protect her. With an annoying little sister, strange supernatural happenings, being alone in the house and at school, and five bothersome ghosts, how can Amu cope with her new life? And just what kind of connections does she share with each of the ghosts?**

**Note: THIS IS NOT BASED OFF OF PARANORMAL ACTIVITY! Even though the summary alone should have already told you that...**

**Inspired from parts of the When They Cry series and how the series Bloody Kiss starts out. (Replacing the vampires with ghosts.)**

**Warnings: Contains most Amu pairings.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

A silver jeep sped down the highway road. A teenage pink-haired girl stared out the window. Her eyes gazed blankly at the objects that zoomed past.

She was hoping for a regular month of June but _no_. Instead of wasting the day away by watching TV or going shopping with her friends, she was on a car with her family leading to their new life.

A girl with brown curls was next to her. Her little sister, Ami, was too busy playing her DS to talk to her. She was 10 years old, but it didn't stop her from being an annoying little brat.

"Amu! Ami! We're here!" announced Midori, their mother. Her dark golden eyes shone with excitement, in sharp contrast to the boredom read in her elder daughter's own. Her looks often made most adults joked that Amu might have been an adopted child. Ami bore more of a resemblance to her mother, with the same shade of brown hair and golden eyes. Amu's hair was a bright strawberry pink and her golden eyes stood out with a brighter shade. Midori and her husband, Tsumugu, who unlike his wife bore no resemblance whatsoever to his daughters, both got out of the car to unpack. Amu looked out the window to survey their new home.

The front gate that awaited them was rusty with age, creaking slightly. The house was a large mansion that would impress anyone coming from the city. It looked like, in its prime age, it would have been a fine house, if it were not for the thick ivy vines covering the sides and the tan brick walls chipping off. The garden in the front had flowers that wilted and was dull in color. The fountain in the middle of the garden was turned off, with no fresh water gushing from the top. If water would ever gush from it again. Not exactly the best mansion in mind.

Ami turned off her DS and jumped out. Amu followed her, opening the car door. She saw her sister run up to the gates in glee, her eyes glittering with admiration for their new home.

"Look, sis!" she exclaimed, "Doesn't it make your heart feel all 'doki, doki' just by looking at it?"

Amu rolled her eyes at her little sister's enthusiasm. "It makes my heart feel disgusted. Who wants to live in a trashy place like this?" she said with apparent distaste. Midori frowned at her daughter's attitude but only sighed.

After the entire luggage had been taken out, she and Tsumugu got back in the car.

"Have fun you guys," Midori said to them, "Amu, don't forget to look after Ami, okay?"

"Papa's going to miss his little sparrows very, very much!" her husband wailed tearfully. Ami giggled while Midori sweatdropped at Tsumugu's crybaby behavior. The car did a U-turn and drove off. Amu watched it go in silence while her sister waved a cheerful goodbye to her parents.

"Bye! Mama! Papa!"

When the jeep drove out of sight, Amu first tried to bust open the rusted lock on the front gate. The lock remained closed, too stubborn to open. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she tried to attack it with her briefcase, whacking it at the lock again and again. Throughout her endeavor, she thought back to when this had all started.

Her mother had received a call from the officials. Amu remembered well the shocked look on her face, and the day after. The whole family went to a funeral, looking down at the coffins of Amu's dead grandparents, the owners of the mansion she was going to live in for the rest of their life.

After the funeral, they received a will and a letter left by her grandmother. According to the document, Midori Hinamori, was to inherit the mansion in a small suburb, along with all of the belongings still intact in the house. The letter confirmed of what was in the will, and stated that they were to look after the house and "tidy it up, until it was all sparkly clean!"

While it was clear they had a choice, her mother decided to move away from the city and settle into a new life in the suburban town. Of course, she was against the decision, but her mother wouldn't hear any of it.

"Why don't you like it?" she asked, "Is it because you're afraid of the stories surrounding that place since you were little? You know they're all not true."

"That's not it!" Amu had shouted, "I just don't want to look after some broken piece of shit left by my grandparents!" Tears welled up in her eyes, "It's not worth throwing my life here away for! I don't want to be the only city girl in my class full of country bumpkins! I want to stay here! With my friends and my home!" Her talk lead her to being grounded for a week, giving her no time to let any of her friends know about her moving away.

"_It's because of that stupid will!" _she thought hotly, _"Who wants to look after this run-down place anyway?! I say either wreck it or sell it to someone else!"_

CRACK!

The lock broke from the constant blows she delivered. She carefully tugged the lock free from the gate. Ami ran in, leaving her suitcases behind. Groaning in exasperation, she dragged their suitcases and bags with her.

"_Why do I have to do all of the dirty work?" _She caught up with Ami just in time to see her swing open the front doors. A grand room greeted them. A large chandelier hung above their heads when they walked in. Winding staircases lead to the rooms upstairs. The room itself was the size of a giant tennis court. Two hallways on the sides lead to separate rooms: the dining room and the lounge.

Ami looked around in awe until she saw something that caught her attention. Grinning, she wandered off down one hallway.

"Hey!" called out Amu, "Wait up!" She dropped their entire luggage and ran after her.

"Over here!" she shouted. She was in the lounge, sitting on one of the sofas. The lounge was as large as the previous room. There were three sofas, sitting together in one big circle. One rocking chair rocked from side to side. A coffee table sat between the sofas, in front of a huge fireplace. There were a couple of bookshelves and one contained a TV set.

"It's really soft," commented Ami as she jumped up and down, "Not bad for a ten-year old house." Before sitting down, Amu noticed a thin layer of dust that covered everything: the walls, the rug, the furniture, and the shelves….Everything. Why did their parents have to go away on vacation for their wedding anniversary? Couldn't they throw a party or something else?

"Good afternoon, ladies."

With a yelp, Amu hid behind her sister. (Not that it was exactly the best protection.) She stuck out her head in fear, wondering who the intruder was. A man in his possible early 30's stood before them. He was dressed in a white frilly shirt with a blue sash around his waist, which were all covered by a blue tuxedo tailcoat and pants. Their luggage sat near his feet. He gave a polite gesture and laughed.

"Ahahahaha. My bad. I guess you don't know yet."

"Who are you?" Amu asked bravely.

He introduced himself, "I am Tsukasa Amakawa, the head butler of this house. You must be Amu and Ami Hinamori, am I right?"

The two siblings blinked in confusion. Neither remembered their grandparents having a butler. Amu rubbed her temples, struggling to remember. She recalled a vague memory of her grandparents having a servant in the house, but she couldn't recall what he/she looked like.

"But our parents never mentioned you."

"I don't tend to engage in conversations with my master's and mistress' guests," Tsukasa said, "I am mostly serving tea."

"Hey, Butler-san," said Ami, "Could you take us to your room? I really, really want to take a nap."

A small smile quirked at the end of his lips, "You can call me, Tsukasa-san, if you like, Hinamori-san. As for your room, all of the rooms here are vacant. You are free to choose whatever you like. However, if you prefer a certain kind of room, I should gladly take you to it."

Her face scrunched up in thought, and then she said, "I want a room with a balcony!"

"That can be arranged. Right this way please. Make sure to watch your step." Tsukasa started leading them out of the lounge and up a flight of stairs. The wooden steps creaked as they walked. Various stone guardian statues glared at them as they passed. Amu felt as if this was turning out to be one of those lame horror movies where the main character goes to a haunted mansion and ends up living with a poltergeist, whom constantly caused mischief.

They walked through a long hallway when Tsukasa halted. A line of doors on the right side lead down to the end of the hallway. Windows on the left side let in the light source to light up the otherwise dark and ominous hallway. There was a layer of dust even here, covering the floor beneath them.

"This will be your room, Hinamori-san," said Tsukasa, gesturing to Ami. The door beside them was shut, almost as if it was beckoning for her to come in. "I hope you enjoy your stay." Ami let out a cry of joy and took her stuff, leaving Amu alone with Tsukasa.

He turned to Amu, "Now…what about you, Hinamori-san?"

She thought for a minute, "Umm…Is there one with a wardrobe? I…kinda have a lot of clothes…"

He pointed to the end of the hallway, "It is the room over there." Tsukasa took a deep bow, and left. Carrying her suitcases, Amu made her way over to her room.

Tsukasa was very nice, she thought. Maybe he would be willing to help out with the cleaning.

She swung open the door to be greeted with a normal, plain bedroom. The paint on the walls peeled off in some places. The dressers and wardrobe was empty. No curtains hung to block the intense sunlight coming from the windows. The bed had no covers or pillows of the any sort. Yet, a tall teenage boy dressed in a dark suit was strangely relaxed sleeping on it…Wait, a boy?!

She quickly did a retake and saw there were five boys in the room. They all wore dark suits varying in styles and color. Each of the boys eyed her (except for the one sleeping on the bed), unblinkingly, their faces reading the same confusion that was perceived on her face.

"……."

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

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**I don't know if I made any grammar mistakes. =/ I'm new here, so bear with me while I get used things! Constructive Criticism is appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Updates are probably going to be random this week. My teachers will probably pile up the homework since it's the week back from vacation. I'm going to try as often as possible to put up a new chapter. If I don't get to update, expect a chapter this weekend.**

**Awwww. Thanks for the nice reviews, guys! I'm beyond flattered. xD**

**Amutoness: For the answer to your question, this is kind of a neutral pairing story. =\ One pairing will win out in the end...but I won't say who will. x) Speaking of romance, there will be some teensy wittsy bit of Rimahiko and maybe some Kutau. I apologize if any of you have something against those pairings, it's just that I like them. And yes, Amu does act spoiled in the last chapter. I was afraid I made her OOC, but then I reckoned that because this was an AU, a little OOCness doesn't matter.**

* * *

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

All of the boys (once again, excluding the person asleep) flinched at the sound of her scream. One of them, a blonde boy, seemed pained by the loud volume in the room and retreated behind the taller boys' backs. The russet-haired one in front of him made a face that read: "What's her problem?" A boy in glasses let out a patient sigh, as if trying his best not to lose his composure from the sudden disturbance of noise in the room. The boy with long, purple hair cringed, yet approached her in an attempt to calm her down.

"Excuse me-"

Amu leapt back in fear, "Don't touch me! I'll sound the burglar alarm!" She whipped out the plastic device, ready to pull the string if she had to.

The russet-haired boy rose from the chair he was slouching in before. When he came closer, Amu caught a glint of amusement in his earthly green eyes. In the light, she saw he was wearing a deep green shirt, covered by a black jacket with matching pants.

"Hey, calm down, girl. We're not going to hurt you. And we're not thieves. Peace?" The odd welcoming grin on his face somehow calmed her down.

"What's all the noise?"

Amu noticed the boy that was previously sleeping was getting up from the bed. He had midnight-blue hair and wore a suit that was a clash of black, gray, and navy blue. His black jacket was unbuttoned like the russet-haired boy's, revealing a gray shirt and navy blue tie underneath. His violet eyes drooped slightly, probably because he didn't had enough sleep. When he felt her stare, his violet eyes glared at her in suspicion.

"Who are you?"

Before she could reply, the russet-haired boy laughed at him, "Don't be such a killjoy, Ikuto! You should welcome our new ojou-sama."

The words struck Amu with puzzlement, _"Ojou-sama?"_

The long-haired boy sighed and shot her an apologetic smile. His looks had a slight trans-gen look about them: long, flowing locks of purple hair, luminescent amber eyes, fair skin, handsome facial features, and a slight muscular build. He wore a striped magenta shirt with a bow, covered by a dark jacket with matching pants.

"I'm sorry for all of the confusion," he said, "I guess you don't know yet. I'm Nagihiko. That messy haired guy is Kukai, the slacker over there is Ikuto, the one in glasses is Kairi, and the one hiding in the corner right there is Tadase." He then held out his hand for her to shake.

"Er….Nice to meet you." She shook hands, "I'm A-"

"Amu Hinamori. We know."

The pinkette tensed, "How do you know my name?"

A loud cough caught her attention. "We know everything about you, Ojou-sama," said 'Kairi', who was fixing his glasses. He had forest green hair and eyes, and wore a black vest over his white shirt and a striped yellow tie. "For we, are the Paranormal Attendants."

Her face scrunched up in confusion, "The Paranormal what?"

"The Paranormal Attendants," said 'Kukai', grinning, "It's our job to be your servants and bodyguards."

"Okay, I understand the 'attendants' part. But where does 'paranormal' fit in?"

'Tadase' finally decided to speak up. He had blonde hair with ruby red eyes, and wore a nicely neat black shirt over his white one. "Well...it's because we're…" He meekly whispered the next word, "…ghosts."

For a long time, Amu stared at Tadase blankly. Then, she suddenly broke into fits of laughter.

The boys (except Ikuto) blinked at her, confused, "What's so funny?"

"Ghosts..Yeah right!"she said between giggles, "What? Are you going to tell that this mansion is cursed next?"

Kukai shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "Technically speaking, it kinda is."

She stopped laughing, "Say what?"

"See, ghosts can only appear before people if the owners of the household acknowledge the forces of the supernatural universe," explained Kairi, "Apparently, one of your relatives must have accepted the fact that the supernatural exist. With that, we are allowed to set foot here."

"Also, we are assigned your servants because it is the way of the spirit world," continued 'Nagihiko', "We ghosts, have to serve a human as long as they can in order to be freed from their last regrets before dying. Not all of them work in groups like us, but it's something we have to do."

Amu snorted, "That still doesn't prove whether or not you are actually ghosts."

Ikuto shook his head and got up, "Fine. Suit yourself." Without warning, he reached out to touch her face.

Without so much a yelp, let alone the time to speak, Amu felt a strange, cold sensation run through her body. It gave her goosebumps and shivers went up her spine. Her knees felt weak and shook with fear. She felt icy cold, and as if she was free falling through a dark, endless pit. Ikuto's hand had gone right through her head, not even making physical contact. He withdrew, and the sensation was gone.

Amu collapsed to her knees, taking in big gulps of air. She felt as if the life had been sucked out of her, as if she nearly forgotten what it was like to breathe.

"…Are you okay?" Nagihiko asked, concerned.

"….No," she muttered, too afraid to say anything else. That experience made it certain now: these guys were ghosts. She was living in a house with five ghosts. At first, she felt like running away and never coming back, overcome from the fear of that experience. Then a peculiar thought struck her.

When Ikuto touched her, was that sensation also the sensation of death? Your body temperature drops, your breathing slows down, trapped in eternal darkness, unable to move your body any longer, and the utter feeling of loneliness.

Was this is what it felt like to die? Was this is what the ghosts experienced when they….were still human and died? Did the ghosts only wanted to serve her because they wanted to be freed from the loneliness and the thread of fate?

She shook her head feverishly. No. None of this made any sense.

"I'm sorry, but….can you…leave me alone for a while?" A pleading tone entered its way to her voice, "I need some time to think. Alone."

They stared at her sadly, knowing nothing would make her change her mind. Ikuto only shrugged, unperturbed. Before she knew it, all of them suddenly vanished into thin air, so quickly that it was almost as if they were never there to begin with.

Sighing, Amu stood up and plopped herself on the now empty bed. Many thoughts whirled around her mind. Speculations, fears, yearning, weariness, and the heavy weight of the burden on her shoulders. She didn't know what to think anymore. There was only one thing she was sure of.

"_I didn't want any of this. I only want my normal life to return to me, like it was back home. I didn't want to take care of this big responsibility in my hands. I didn't want to find out I'll be living with a bunch of ghosts."_She buried her face into her knees, _"I hate…being the older sibling."_

* * *

After a couple of minutes of brooding on the bed, Amu knew she had to face the facts. Moping around wasn't going to get her anywhere. She only had two solutions:

1. Pretend that none of this has ever happened and go on with her life.

2. Take advantage of this opportunity and just go with the flow.

She knew there was no way she would be able to do number 1. Ignoring the fact that five ghosts lived in your house was like trying not to scratch a very itchy rash. So…she was stuck with number two. Amu wasn't exactly so sure if she would be able to adapt to this environment so easily…But, on the bright side, she had five more helping hands.

First things first: create an organized plan of how she was going to tackle the problem of how to fix up the place. Amu searched through her bags and found a pen and a piece of paper.

Plan A: Vacuum up all of the horrid dust that covered the place. She was grateful neither her nor Ami had any dust allergies.

Plan B: Check out the kitchen and the refrigerator. If there was any food inside, check the expiration dates and estimate how long it will be able to last them. If there was none, go out and buy groceries. Good thing her parents left them a big enough of an allowance for them to survive.

Plan C: Water the flowers. If they were going to stay there, they might as well pretty up the place.

Plan D: Do something about the front gate. The house looked like it didn't get visitors often, but Amu wasn't going to take any chances.

Plan E: Go back to her bedroom and unpack. Find some blankets, pillows, and decorate the bedroom. She might as well make herself comfortable while she was here.

Plan F: Get…ugh…herself ready for school. Thankfully it was a Saturday, so she had all of the time in the world to finish this.

Amu stopped writing and admired what she had come up with. She was positive everything would turn out as planned. Now…where was that vacuum cleaner? She remembered that her grandma kept one somewhere.

She left the bedroom, slightly intimidated by the eerie silence in the house. She lost track of how many times she had turned around, expecting to see someone there.

Amu was relieved when she finally saw someone. It was Ami, running towards the staircase. Before she called out her name, Ami tripped over the first step of the stairs.

Time seemed to slow down. A vivid image of Ami falling down hard on the stairs, her body limp, broken from the severity of her fall, flashed through her mind. No. It can't happen. It _must_not happen. She was the older sister. It was her responsibility to take care of Ami, and protect her almost like a loving parent.

"AMI!"

Out of the corner of her eye, a dark blur sped past her and advanced towards the falling Ami….

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**...Is it just me or am I developing a habit for writing cliffhangers? Don't worry, not every chapter is going to be like this, it's just the way the story is chopped up.**

**For those who want to have a better image of what the boys are wearing, go to Photobucket and search: "Shugo Chara boys". Something's wrong, so I can't post the link. :(**


	3. Chapter 3

**...Are people still confused about the pairings? To make it easier, here are the listing of the pairings in this story: Amuto, Tadamu, Kukamu, Kamuri, and Amuhiko. Rimahiko and Kutau will only appear in later chapters.**

**And thanks for the reviews and hits! :D Keep them coming!**

**This chapter has a lot more dialogue, unlike the previous chapters. I think the flow is slightly irregular because of the lack of description but that's just me. And Rima appears(with only one line of dialogue) in this chapter! Yay! She'll make more appearances in the future, along with Utau and Yaya.**

* * *

Out of the corner of her eye, a dark blur sped past her and advanced towards the falling Ami. When it reached the middle of the stairs, the blur turned out to be Tadase, his breath uneven from running.

He slammed his hand on the floor, a golden burst of energy enveloping his hand. The energy formed a weird crown-like shape of, what Amu belived, was golden Jello. Ami landed safely on the large crown of jelly. How Tadase managed to calculate where Ami would land, was beyond her.

The little brunette blinked in astonishment at the sudden turn of events. She stood up, examining the golden jelly-like substance. She then noticed Tadase and Amu staring up at her, relieved that she was alright.

"How did you do that?" This was the first thing Amu asked Tadase.

He rubbed his head sheepishly, "Ghosts also gain an extra supernatural power so they can protect their master or mistress." The jelly-like substance slowly vanished, dropping Ami softly on the floor.

"Who's he?" Ami asked, pointing at Tadase.

"He's…umm..." Amu said hesitantly. How was she going to explain to her little sister that the guy standing right in front of her was a ghost?

Noticing her stuttering, Tadase quickly said, "She has the right to know. Your little sister also counts as our ojou-sama."

"He's…Tadase. One of the servants here, Ami," Amu explained to her. She paused, and took a deep breath, "You probably won't believe it, but…he's a ghost."

Instead of laughing in disbelief like she had, Ami, tilted her head and stared at Tadase as if he was some newly discovered animal. He casted his gaze on the ground, uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving. Cautiously, she reached out to touch him. Her hand went right through his stomach. Tadase stared at her, unsure of how to react.

Amu instinctively shivered. How could she not be freaked out from the same sensation she felt when a ghost touched her?

When she withdrew her hand, her eyes were wide with amazement. All of the sudden, she let out a loud squeal, "That's so cool! I never thought there were ghosts in this house! Hey, what does it feel like when someone touches you?"

Amu nearly brought her hand to her face. Of course. Ami had always expressed interest in the occult, while she herself had always refused to believe in such silly things. She had quickly dismissed such things as old superstition, and now that she was living with five ghosts….She couldn't exactly deny such things anymore.

A sweatdrop slid down Tadase's forehead. "It…kind of tickles actually," he admitted, taken back by her enthusiasm. Ami was now examining him all around, much to his discomfort.

Amu stopped her, "That's enough, Ami. You're scaring him."

"You guys look like you're having fun."

She looked up to see Ikuto hovering in the air, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

"Nii-san!" cried out Tadase. He looked pleased to see him. Ikuto only acknowledged him with a nod, apparently not willing to say anything else.

"Are you just going to float there all day or do you have something to say?" Amu asked Ikuto.

The blue-haired teen only shrugged, "I was here first. And then you guys came and disrupted my naptime." She frowned at his attitude. Ikuto then floated down the stairs, not looking back.

Tadase chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry," he apologized to her, "He's…really nice once you get to know him." She wasn't sure how to respond to that. It seemed to her that he was the type of person who often procrastinates and only acted rebellious to tick people off.

Then she remembered why she had come out in the first place, "Tadase."

He tilted his head in confusion, "Yes?"

She quickly gave him a brief summary of her plans for cleaning up the house. He listened with interest, while Ami wandered off, apathetic to their conversation.

"…And that's how it is. Do you think you could go and tell the others?"

He smiled, "Of course. I'll tell the others right away. If you don't mind, I want to take care of the garden problem."

"That's fine," she told him.

He thanked her, "Thank you…" Tadase paused, wondering how he should address his new mistress.

"You can call me Hinamori-san, if you want to. I prefer it that way."

He smiled again, "Okay! I'll see you later…Hinamori-san." He went down the stairs. For some odd reason, she felt her cheeks heat up when he addressed her by her last name instead of "ojou-sama". She furiously shook her head to snap out of it.

She looked down at the list of plans she had been holding, _"I guess….I'll start with the front gate then."_

* * *

When she arrived, Amu found Kukai there, staring at the gate with a frown on his face.

"Hey," she greeted him, "What's up?"

He flashed her a grin, but seemed a little distracted, "Nothing really…Just thinking about how to fix this thing."

She prodded the gate with her finger. The hinges of the gate were rusted and constantly made loud squeaky noises. The coat of black paint was scraping off in several places. The cracked lock lay outside the gate, abandoned. This gate was the only barrier to the outside world, leading to a rocky road that eventually went down to the suburban town below.

"We need a Master Lock 4689Q," said Kukai after a moment of thinking, "It should be small enough to fit, and we can paint over the rusted parts with paint. The hinges will have to be oiled too." He turned to Amu, "Do you think you can go into town and buy one?"

She scratched her head, "Er…Let's see…I need to buy a Master Lock 46-what?"

"4689Q."

She repeated the numbers over and over in her head. She hoped that there was a locksmith shop somewhere and that she had the money for it.

Deep down though, she felt a little curious about how shopping in a suburban town would be like compared to the city. She wasn't that excited per say, but a strong feeling of anticipation filled her heart.

* * *

In the city, shopping malls were a common sight and the street always bustled with activity. Even at night. In the suburbs, there was only a few shopping districts, and the stores usually closed at a certain time. Almost everyone knew everybody, and sometimes, two distant neighbors would greet each other on the street.

So, when people saw a teenage pink-haired girl, they glanced up from their shopping duties to whisper to each other and wonder when did a 16-yr old girl had moved into town.

As for Amu, she felt slightly unnerved by the whispers and the stares. In the city, there was an unspoken policy of avoid-eye-contact-with-everybody-and-mind-your-own-business. Was pink hair really that uncommon? For once, she wished she wasn't born with pink hair and was born with black hair instead.

When she turned around a corner, she saw a newspaper stand. Various newspapers hung on the racks. Inside, she saw a couple of magazines on the shelf and the shop owner beside a fridge full of drinks.

The headline of one newspaper caught her eye: "The Mysterious Murder on 68th street". She scanned through the rest of the article.

_"For many years, the town of Harima has been known for many cases relating to the occult. Many people had reported to have seen people with lifeless eyes wandering the streets and an occasional shadowy figure under the fall of nighttime. Yesterday, another peculiar case had happened. A father of a family of four on 68th street was found dead in the backyard of his home. Officials reported that man had his head cut off and was killed instantly. The analyzation of the corpse made it hard to determine what kind of manmade weapon the murderer used to kill him. Many residents in the area reported that the night before, they saw a large figure with cat ears and a tail, relating the appearances to a youkai. Even though the police are still pulling an investigation, many people doubt they would be able to find the murderer."_

Amu shuddered at the thought of a dead body with its head chopped off. How was that possible? There was no way a gun could blast someone's head off. Then, something occurred to her.

"_Ghosts also gain an extra supernatural power so they can protect their master or their mistress."_

She paled. What if…? No. There was no way those ghosts could have been involved. They didn't seem like the type of people who would go out and kill somebody.

She was about to leave when she saw a blonde girl staring at the racks that held the same newspaper. The girl had the height of an elementary student, and had long, butterscotch curls. Her appearance matched one of a fragile, yet adorable, porcelain doll. If she wasn't a stranger on the street, Amu would have squealed and let her know how cute she was. She guessed she must have been around her age. However, she felt too shy to greet the girl.

But then, she caught a glint of pity in the girl's honey-colored eyes, as she gazed at the article. Was it pity for the family who now had no father…or was it something else?

"Hello. Are you here to buy a newspaper?"

The shopkeeper's voice caught Amu's attention.

"Umm…No thanks...I'm not interested," she told him.

"You're new here, aren't you?" he asked her.

Amu smiled sheepishly and nodded.

He noticed her gaze flickering over to the newspaper article, "I see you're interested in what had happened yesterday. I believe you've heard that this town is famous for many cases relating to the abnormal."

"Yes. I don't think any of them are true though. It's obviously just paranoia," she said. _"Even though I secretly live with five ghosts," _she thought to herself.

The shopkeeper laughed, "So you're one of the people who believe the murder was done by a human. I can see why you would think that. The man's head could have been cut off with a machete. But…I believe the case was not a murder."

Amu was confused, "Huh?"

"Think of it this way. According to the family, the man had saw someone in the backyard and mistaken him for a burglar. The culprit confronted him in his backyard," he explained, "The culprit had intended to escape. However…someone interfered. Maybe someone spotted them and called for help. Or maybe someone tried to attack the culprit. And….the culprit swung his weapon to stop them and accidentally cut off the man's head." He finished and then shrugged, "That's my theory though. I'm not exactly so sure whether or not the criminal is human."

"I guess that's plausible," Amu said. It made sense to her, but there was still the question of what the murderer was doing in the backyard in the first place.

"The strangest thing though…" he started to say, "…was that people in the area heard strange music after the time of the murder. It was a sad, yet beautiful melody."

"Maybe someone found his corpse and decided to play funeral music," she suggested.

"Perhaps," said the shopkeeper.

Deciding she had talked long enough, Amu started to walk away. However, she was suddenly stopped by the small blonde girl from before. The sympathy in her eyes was gone, now replaced with a cold, stern look.

"If you want what's good for you, keep your distance from the supernatural beings," she warned, "You never know when they will turn on you and come for you next." Without another word, she walked away, not staying long enough to see the bewildered and shocked look on Amu's face.

"_What's her problem?!" _she thought, _"There's no way they would kill me, right? Besides, I refuse to stay away from them even if I wanted to. Because…I have no choice."_

* * *

**One of my rare shorter chapters. (Usually, my chapters come up to over 2,000 words on Microsoft, excluding the author notes.)**

**This is slowly becoming a mystery. xD I won't change the genre, because not all of the supernatural happenings will be murders and solving the cases is not the main focus of the story. Once again, constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a lot more light hearted compared to all of the suspense I've been giving you. I'll probably write another one like this, for a break from the suspense and drama since I want things to be more paced, with a few plot-related stuff thrown in.**

* * *

"Thank you very much!" said Amu as she walked out the door. Her hands held the shopping bag containing the lock Kukai desired. The shop owner had been nice enough to give her a pack of four locks in case she lost one. Despite being glad that she had accomplished her mission, her heart still felt heavy. Those words the girl declared sunk through her flesh and left her feeling cold.

"_It's okay," _she told herself, _"I'm just some normal teenager who happens to have to take care of a big mansion left by my grandparents. I'm not that heavily involved with any supernatural beings, nor do I care. That case is just a murder case that has nothing to do with me."_

She was so preoccupied in her thoughts that she didn't notice when she had arrived at the front gate of her home. Kukai was painting over the gate with a fresh coat of black paint.

He grinned when he saw her, "Welcome back! Did you get what I wanted?"

She nodded, "Y-Yeah…" He didn't seem to notice her strained efforts in order to smile back. She imagined Kukai with a huge machete in his hand, replacing the paintbrush, and instead of a friendly grin, a creepy, psychotic smile, ready to kill.

Amu shuddered and shook her head.

His earthly green eyes filled with concern, "Something wrong?"

She denied it, "Nothing! I'm perfectly fine." He went back to painting the gate and she placed the bag besides him. Looking out across the front yard of the place, Amu noticed a blonde boy, standing over the flower garden with a watering hose.

"Is that Tadase?"

Kukai nodded, not even looking up, "Yep. He came out while you were away. You could go talk to him if you want. I can take it from here." Hesitating, Amu slowly left him by the gate. In her mind, she tried to imagine Tadase as the murderer, but his polite personality made it impossible for her to conjure up an image. But the watering hose looked like some deadly viper with its jaws wide open….

She slapped her cheeks to snap out of it, _"What's wrong with me?! You're just being paranoid, Amu. Yeah! That's it! There's no way you're going to be the next victim!"_

Tadase saw her as she came closer, "Ah. Welcome back, Hinamori-san. How was your shopping trip?"

"Okay, I guess," Amu replied, "I didn't have enough time to thoroughly look around the place though." A gentle spray of water gushed forth from the watering hose, splashing against the flowers. The flowers still had a dull look to them; even the water didn't make them lift up their leaves in joy. "Are you watering the garden?"

When she asked that question, he smiled sadly, "Yes. I am." For a moment, his eyes were lost in another world, and he was unaware of Amu's existence. His ruby red eyes glowed dimly as he gazed at the flowers, "For a while, no one tended to this garden after your grandparent's death. Tsukasa was too busy, I guess. Most of the flowers are dying." She noticed an unreadable fondness and admiration in his eyes as he spoke. He seemed to have deep feelings for the dull, lifeless plants before him.

"Can't you just tend to the garden then, if you wanted to?"

Tadase shook his head, "We ghosts are bound to obey our mistress or master. Because there was none, we were unable to do whatever we pleased."

"…You really like flowers, don't you?" said Amu.

"Yes," he agreed, "It's strange. Flowers are such fragile little things, yet they are full of life. They only need soil, water, and light to grow. They brighten up the world around them, no matter what the atmosphere." Amu was silent, pondering his words. She never saw him look so serious before. She wondered, what was life like for these ghosts? What did it feel like to serve someone after they died? It was as if they were forever chained to the mansion, marionettes that would not move until someone tugged at their strings.

A loud growl disrupted the silence between them.

"Eh?" Tadase snapped out of his daze and looked at the source of the sound. Blushing, Amu quickly put her hands over her stomach.

He smiled, "Are you hungry, Hinamori-san? You could go look in the fridge if you want." He must have seen the look on her face because he said, "Don't worry about me. I'm fine here." His attention shifted from her back to the flowers. Tadase aimed the watering hose at other parts of the garden, just to prove his point.

Finally giving in, Amu walked away. She stopped, looking back over her shoulder. Tadase was lost in deep thought again, his free hand clenched into a tight fist. Before she completely left, she thought he had said something:

"I envy you…."

* * *

When Amu arrived in the kitchen, she was surprised to find it cleaner than the rest of the house. The usual layer of dust was absent, the marble floors well polished and the cooking utensils neatly put in their places. Pots hung from the ceiling and the oven had no trace of ashes or a smoky scent.

"_It must've been Tsukasa-san," _she reasoned, _"The ghosts don't have a reason for cleaning up the kitchen if they can't eat." _She opened the refrigerator, and saw several packages of food stored inside. A cup of chocolate ice cream caught her eye. Her stomach growled happily at the prospect of eating. She reached for the snack until...

"Amu-chan~," someone said teasingly behind her back.

Yelping, Amu jumped in fright and turned around to see Nagihiko, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Aww. How cute. You really are a scardey-cat."

Recovering from her fright, she scolded him, her heart still beating fast from fear, "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

He chuckled, "Sorry. Sorry. I just couldn't resist."

Making a face, she stood up and brushed herself off. Was it just her, or did ghosts always seem to like pulling pranks?

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Looking for something to eat," she replied with a sigh.

"If you like, I can cook up something for you," Nagihiko offered.

"Really? I don't want to bother you…"

He let out a small 'tsk', "Amu-chan…We are your servants. We like it when we can help out our master or mistress."

Her shoulders slumped, "I guess…"

"I'll go and ask Tsukasa-san if he can buy us some groceries to start." Before he left, he winked at her playfully, "Don't think about it too much, okay?" Her cheeks reddened and she mentally slapped herself. What was with her and blushing lately? Sure the boys were attractive, but…a relationship between a servant and their mistress felt uncomfortable to think about.

Just as he was about to walk out, he bumped into Tsukasa. Actually, bump wasn't the right word. More like, accidentally went through. Like Ami, Tsukasa didn't seem that disturbed by having physical contact with a ghost.

"Ah. Hello, Hinamori-san," he said when he noticed her, "Were you guys talking about me?"

"Oh, Tsukasa-san," said Nagihiko, "We need you to go buy some ingredients for dinner. Amu-chan needs to eat you know."

His purple eyes lit up when he told him that, "Oh yeah. It's almost dinnertime." He smiled, almost in a confident manner, "Don't worry. We have enough to make curry for three."

A rare, and strong look of disapproval crossed Nagihiko's face, "You're not seriously going to-"

Tsukasa took Amu out of the kitchen, "Leave everything to me, Hinamori-san. I'm quite a good cook you know."

Nagihiko tried to get a word in, "Like I said-"

"Go and take a bath, Hinamori-san," he suggested to her, "I'm sure you need it."

"Stop cutting me off!"

Before she knew it, Amu was in front of her bedroom, leaving a stressed, pissed Nagihiko with a weird, cheerful, laughing Tsukasa.

* * *

Amu sighed dreamily as she soaked her body in steaming, hot water. Despite the age of the mansion, the plumbing system still let in hot water coming into the house. The warm liquid sent relief washing over her aching joints and muscles that she hadn't noticed before. Her thoughts drifted over to the words Tadase had uttered before she left.

"_I envy you..." _For some odd reason, Amu could tell those words weren't directed at her. Those words seem to be directed at the flowers, because of his intense gaze during that scenario. As for the reason why he would envy them, she didn't know. The Paranormal Attendants were all too mysterious in their own ways.

Suddenly, a loud blast of music shattered the peaceful silence in the bathtub. Wincing, Amu's hands covered her precious eardrums from the noise. It sounded like someone turned on the stereo.

"Ami! Turn it down!" she managed to shout. Apparently, her shout couldn't overcome the powerful sound of her sister's stereo. She heard a faint cry of pain among the playing booming music. Without warning, Ikuto emerged from the door to the bathroom. He fell flat on his face on the cold, marble floor. He warily looked up and saw Amu.

The two stared at each other in silence.

Ikuto held up his hand in greeting. "Hi," he said calmly.

"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU PERVERT!!!!"

* * *

Kukai was humming cheerfully when he saw Ikuto and Amu in the lounge. Ikuto was using a whole entire coffee table to protect himself while Amu, dressed only in a towel, was threateningly pointing a bar of soap at him.

He looked between the two uncertainly, "Do I want to know what happened?"

Amu pointed an accusing finger at Ikuto, "He walked into the bathroom while I was taking a bath!"

Ikuto tried to defend himself, "I didn't _walk _in there. Ami's stereo startled me so I went through the door without thinking! It's not my fault I'm a ghost!"

"That still doesn't excuse you from being in front of the bathroom in the first place!"

"I was going to tell you that Ami has problems plugging in her karaoke machine. And," he quickly added when her face only grew more furious, "I _was _planning on knocking, but I didn't know something like this was going to happen!" For a minute, Amu's face softened, but it quickly returned back to its original look of embarrassment. She was probably too mortified by the fact an older boy had peeped on her in the bathtub to listen to reason.

"Y-You could be lying!" she said, desperately searching for an excuse, "You could've purposely snuck in just to peek at me!"

He rolled his eyes, "I don't sink that low, _Ojou-sama_. Besides, all I saw was a bunch of flatlands. No mountains whatsoever."

Kukai paled. Ikuto had now said probably one of the couple of things you should never say to a girl. "Umm…Ikuto? I think you should stop now…" He could've sworn now there was a fire blazing in Amu's vividly golden eyes.

She threw the bar of soap at Ikuto. He yawned as the soap bar flew right through his chest. Gritting her teeth, Amu proceeded to chase him. Ikuto swiftly flew all around the room, looking like a little fly Amu was determined to swat. Kukai sighed, knowing Ikuto would be the one who would win the fight.

Just as he thought, Ikuto dived for the fireplace in the room. His body went through the chimney leading up to the roof. Amu stared up at the place where he had gone, shocked. Growling in frustration, she stomped away, leaving the bar of soap on the floor, forgotten.

* * *

**Next chapter will reveal why Nagihiko is so worried about leaving dinner in the hands of Tsukasa and a hint to Nagihiko's past. :) Constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter ended up revealing a lot more than I intended. Dx I guess I'm okay with it though, since I'm not exactly sure how much I will reveal until the entire thing is figured out.**

**Mysterious Angel Girl: Oh! Thanks for the advice! ^ ^ I'm always afraid of making my chapters longer because I'm afraid it will end up sounding like I'm just ranting. I'll keep that in mind for the future.**

* * *

Amu was chugging down an entire bottle of milk. Her strawberry pink hair had moist, droplets of water that slowly dripped off her face. A loose, yellow towel hung around her shoulders. She was dressed in a yellow and black hoodie. She let out a dreamy sigh when the last of milk went down her throat. There was nothing like drinking a bottle of milk after a bath.

A strange scent entered into her room. She sniffed the air suspiciously. It was the waft of…something burning?

Then her eyes widened in realization. Slamming open her bedroom door in a hurry, Amu ran down the stairs to the kitchen. She saw a cloud of black smoke pouring from the room. Ikuto and Kukai were standing right in front of the scene, trying to peer through the smoke to see what was going on. Nagihiko was standing right next to them and he looked far from pleased.

Amu stopped to a halt. Why weren't they doing anything? They should go get a fire extinguisher or something!

She turned around at the sound of Kairi and Tadase panting as they came over. Tadase turned as white as a sheet (if that was possible) when he saw the mess. Kairi sighed in exasperation and fixed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He walked into the kitchen without a word.

"What's going on?" Amu asked Kukai. She pointedly ignored Ikuto, who was standing right next to him. He cocked an eyebrow at her behavior, but refrained from commenting.

"See for yourself," he replied grimly. When the smoke finally cleared thanks to Tadase opening a window, they saw Tsukasa standing in the kitchen, unharmed. However, he was idly stirring the burning pot before him while reading a book.

Amu nearly nose-dived into the ground.

Kukai laughed at her reaction, "Yeah. Tsukasa-san's not a really great cook. Even if you give him the directions, he still won't do it right."

Kairi was patiently trying to persuade Tsukasa to let him do the cooking, "Tsukasa-senpai. I understand your confidence in your skills, but I insist that you leave this matter to me."

"Huh?" He looked confused. "But I was doing perfectly fine."

A vein bulged on Kairi's forehead, "You burnt the curry and created so much smoke that it turned the fire alarm on."

Tsukasa raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really?" He smiled apologetically, "Sorry about that. I was so into my book that I didn't even notice."

Kairi's forehead scrunched and a small frown came upon his face. His patience was already tiring. "Which is why…you can leave and let me take care of this."

"Okay, Kairi-kun!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. He walked towards the door and then stopped.

"Are you sure you don't need any-"

Kairi pushed him towards the door entrance, "Yes, I don't need any. Go. Now."

"Maybe I can cut up the carrots-"

Kairi was now grinding his teeth together, "As a matter of fact Tsukasa-senpai, maybe you can go out and buy some potatoes. It will help. _A lot_."

His grin widened, "Okay! I'll see you guys later!" Tsukasa waved a jolly goodbye as he went out. Kairi sighed in relief and his shoulders slumped.

Amu was staring at Kairi strangely.

"What is it, Ojou-sama?" he asked.

He was taken back to see her giggle. The giggles than got louder and developed into full-blown laughter.

"Hahahaha!!! I can't believe," she said between her giggles, "that…you actually did that…! Hahahaha!!! It doesn't seem like you! You always seem so serious…." She kept on laughing. Kairi blinked for a minute, and then blushed feverishly.

"I-It's just that...I-I…umm…." He seemed at a lost on what to say.

Kukai ruffled his deep green hair, "Awww. Is the little ghost getting embarrassed?"

"T-That's not it!" Kairi said quickly. He was flustered that he showed such a side before his mistress.

Wiping away a tear, Amu's laughter had faded away into hiccups. "Sorry. I was just so surprised…" She noticed that Kairi still looked uncomfortable, "Don't worry about it! I'm just surprised, that's all. It's…actually kind of cute." This only made Kairi go redder. Kukai coughed loudly while Ikuto looked the other way. Tadase looked at them oddly, but then furiously shook his head. Nagihiko, on the other hand, wasn't listening to the conversation. His eyes were transfixed at the burnt pot. Various, disoriented images flashed through his mind. A bright, orange flame…the strong scent of metal filling his nostrils…ash…blood…a searing pain overcoming his body…

"Nagihiko?"

"What?!" he asked , his amber eyes flashing with anger.

Amu stepped back, as if bitten, "Umm...Nothing...I was just wondering what's wrong..."

A painful throb hit his skull as he looked at her. Clutching the side of his head, he took a deep breath and said, "It's...It's nothing…" His gaze shifted to the windows outside, "I think…I need some fresh air…" He jumped and his body flew right through the window leading to the outside world.

Amu stared after him, confused by his attitude, "What's wrong with him?"

Kukai placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry about it. I guess he saw the fire from the stove and that pushed him over the edge." When Amu's look still read puzzlement, Tadase decided to step in.

"We ghosts…are mystified by the sight of fire," he said, "It makes us feel at peace, for some reason." She frowned, trying to see where this conversation was leading to. "However, it has the opposite effect on Nagihiko. Sometimes, he can't stand it. Sure, there are times where he is calm around fire, but when it does affect him, it always triggers something within him and…." Tadase looked down at his hands sadly, "...I think it's because it brings back some memories that he doesn't want to remember."

"Huh?"

"Ghosts are wiped clean of their memories when the Phantom Lord has chosen them," Ikuto said suddenly. He was leaning against the back of a chair, his hand clenched into a tight fist. "The Phantom Lord….is like the master of us all. If, for whatever reason, we interest him, he forces us to work in servitude to humans to be freed of our last regrets." Amu noticed his sarcastic tone when he said 'freed'. "But in order to do that, he has to erase our memories of what we were like as a human."

Kairi cleared his throat, recovering from his previous embarrassment, "Er….Yes. All of that is true. According to Nagihiko, he catches faint glimpses of memories whenever he sees fire. And…when we ghosts try to recall something, well, it's a pain to try to recall."

"Oh….." Her golden eyes now shone with sympathy and pity for the ghosts. "Actually…" The edges of her mouth curved into a small smile, "I think I know…what that feels like…"

The ghosts all looked up in surprise, "Huh?"

"If you can say that, I also…suffer from amnesia."

* * *

Nagihiko was flying as fast as he could. He was jumping from roof to roof, from building to building. The half moon shining above him was his only source of light. He desperately wanted for the pain to stop. His head was still throbbing and he felt slightly dizzy. His vision blurred, making it harder for him to pick out things in the already dim light. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell off a roof. He performed a perfect somersault and landed safely on his feet. He looked around and saw that he landed in some kind of park. There was only a slide, sandbox, and some swings. The swings creaked as it swung from side to side, giving off an eerie aura. Loud footsteps echoed across the park's grounds.

Frightened, he climbed up the nearest tree and hid himself amongst the branches. It was a girl. She had blonde hair tied up in twintails, and had striking, violet eyes. In her hand, she held a large, three-pointed, black trident in her hand. Nagihiko shivered. He knew who this girl was. He had heard all about it back in the spirit world before becoming one of the Paranormal Attendants.

This was a demon hunter. A person who went around hunting for demons and slayed them. No one knew what motivations one would have for killing a demon, but all that Nagihiko knew, was that demons were close relations of ghosts. A stage where a ghost has lost his/her sanity. And that they would track down ghosts if they think he/she would become a demon. Nagihiko sunk into the shadows, trying his best to hide himself.

The girl stopped, looking around. She held her trident steadily, ready to strike. Another set of footsteps was approaching. She whirled around and pointed the trident at the intruder. The middle point of the trident was only inches away from a small girl's nose.

"Mashiro," said the twintailed girl in slight annoyance.

"Hoshina," the girl replied back emotionlessly. She was short for her age, and had long, butterscotch curls that barely reached her waist. Strange lights surrounded her, flying around aimlessly. Patterns of odd-looking occult glyphs surrounded them in a ring. An exorcist. Not like they were any better than demon hunters. They just used less violent ways.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" the 'Hoshina' girl said tauntingly, "Your parents won't like it if they hear you're wandering around at night, right?"

The 'Mashiro' girl smirked, "And what about you? If the media hears about Hoshina Utau wandering around in the middle of the night hunting for demons, it would create quite a scandal, wouldn't it?"

The two glared at each other in silence, neither side making a move to attack the other. Suddenly, one of the lights next to the Mashiro girl flew at Nagihiko at high speed.

Nagihiko dropped from the branch he was sitting on, holding onto it like a spry little monkey. The light only missed his fingers by a few centimeters. The shadows and the leaves still covered his body from being seen. The small blonde looked up at the tree he was hiding in, the pale light of the moon above reflecting her steel cold honey-colored eyes.

A strange wave of feelings rushed through him as he looked into her eyes. Nostalgia? Another throb of pain struck his skull painfully. Did he know this girl? He tried to search for any memories of her but he could only pull a blank. The Phantom Lord really didn't want them to recall their memories of being a human.

Luckily for him, the Mashiro girl had dismissed the attack as nothing and took no further action. She let out an 'hmph' and started to walk away.

"This is boring. I'm leaving." 'Utau''s violet eyes narrowed suspiciously but she said nothing.

When she was just about to step out of the gate entrance to the park, Utau stopped her, "I'm warning you, Mashiro." She turned around to give her a quizzical look. "If you dare come after my prey, I shall personally tear you apart, limb by limb, with my trident."

"Sure. I wouldn't dream of it," the Mashiro girl said, flashing an angelic smile at her, making sure she didn't miss the dripping sarcasm evident in her voice.

* * *

**The job of an exorcist and a demon hunter would be further explained in the future. On the other hand, hooray for Utau's first appearance! I don't know if she will have this attitude when she eventually meets Amu though. xD I'm still working it out. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as always.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Had exams. =A= Doesn't help that one of my teachers was absent for some unknown reason. I just want to take the test and get over with it.**

**Black_kimino_otaku: Thank you for the suggestions! I might take the "trying to escape" thing, since it seems to fit with the story. And, if you read the previous chapters, I believe I explicitly stated that this story contained multiple Amu pairings, aside from Amuto. =/**

**Bold _italics_*: Parts that are highlighted**

* * *

The first rays of sunshine of a Sunday morning peeked through the windows to lit up the slightly dreary bedroom of Amu Hinamori. Some of the light shone down on Amu's face. She groaned and turned the other way. She didn't get to sleep at all last night, due to the fact that Nagihiko hadn't returned before she went to bed. She was fraught with worry and would sometimes get up and look out of her window expectantly for the sight of the long-haired boy.

A light knock came from the door, "Hinamori-san?"

"Come in," she said.

The door swung open to reveal Tadase holding a tray of food in his hand. He stopped when he saw the tired look on her face.

"Are you okay? You don't look like you got enough sleep."

She hesitantly rose herself up from the bed, "Yeah….I was so worried about Nagihiko that I couldn't get any shuteye."

Tadase set the tray on the table beside her, "Actually, he came back last night while you were asleep. He didn't want to disturb you, and he seemed pretty worn out."

This made her woke up, "Really?! How is he? Is he okay?"

He nodded, "He calmed down quite a bit, so I assume he was okay." She smiled in relief when she was told this.

"That's great! By the way…who cooked breakfast?" She looked at the breakfast tray with suspicion, not sure whether or not she wanted to try out Tsukasa's cooking. There was a plate of omelet, and even though it didn't look burnt, Tsukasa could've thrown in some nasty ingredient without even looking.

"Nagihiko did," said Tadase, "With surprising self-control. I guess it's his indirect way of apologizing to you." Glad that it was actually Nagihiko, not Tsukasa, she immediately took the breakfast tray and started digging in.

Tadase watched her eat in silence before speaking up, "Hinamori-san?"

"Hm?" Her mouth was stuffed with omelet. The edges of his mouth twitched when he saw her face.

"…I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but…" His head was down now, avoiding her gaze. "..You remember what you said last night? About your amnesia?"

"Oh yeah!"

"…What did you mean by that?" he asked.

After swallowing, Amu frowned in thought. "I don't know actually," she admitted, "There are just some parts missing from my mind and some of my memories don't connect or relate to each other at all."

"Maybe it's just because time went on," Tadase suggested.

Amu shrugged, "Maybe. But that's the weirdest thing…it isn't just some memories I had from elementary school that I can't recall, it's also some of my memories from middle school. It's like…I purposefully blocked it from my mind." Tadase's ruby red eyes stared at her with sympathy.

"Sis!"

They both looked up to see Ami slamming open the door. She looked excited and was almost jumping all around the place.

"You've got to see this!" she said, "There's this mysterious room!" Amu shot Tadase a quizzical look, but he looked as confused as well. Ami tugged on her sister's sleeve. "Come on!" she whined, "It's really interesting!" Sighing, Amu got out of her bed.

She placed her hands on her little sister's shoulders, "Fine. But then I want you to prepare yourself for school tomorrow, and don't bother me because I'll be helping with dusting the house."

She nodded cheerfully in response, "Deal! Now hurry up!"

Amu glanced at Tadase, "Are you coming?"

He shook his head, "Sorry. I have to go and wash the dishes."

For a brief moment, she was disappointed. She didn't wanted to be all alone with her sister, and she can't help but admit, that she actually took a liking to the ghosts' company. Instead of showing it, she settled for a smile and said, "Okay. See you later."

As he watched them go, he placed a hand on his chin, "I hope the room Hinamori-san was talking about wasn't _that _room…."

* * *

Amu found herself before a very dark doorway that was the entrance to who knows where. As she peered inside, she saw a wooden staircase that stepped down into the never-ending darkness. She cowardly stepped back, a little scared of what might be awaiting there.

Ami, on the other hand, seemed to treat it as some kind of adventure. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and Amu was afraid she was going to jump down into the darkness any minute.

…Too late. She already did. Her body was swallowed up by the ominous dark shadows.

Amu considered whether or not she should follow her sister. If she waited here, who knows when Ami will come out? And if she went in…who knows what might be waiting there for her? It was as if the darkness was beckoning her to come forth, as if saying: _"Come in…..You know you want to…."_

A sudden cawing of crows from outside made her tense.

"_On second thought, forget it."_ She hurried down the stair steps, "Ami, wait for me!"

The minute she entered the darkness, the sight of objects before her vanished. She couldn't see anything. There was no handles for her to steady herself in case anything jumped at her in the darkness. She groped around, in hopes for a light switch. It wasn't until she reached the bottom step did she see a beam of light.

She froze. Was this like the story of the ghost who would beckon people into the fog with a lantern to never return?

The beam of light turned…..to shine on a widely grinning girl's face.

"AAAAHHHHH!!" Amu fell back on the stairs in fright.

The girl giggled, "Relax, sis! It's only me!" The lights turned on to reveal Ami's face. She was holding a flashlight in one hand and held the light switch in the other.

Amu's cheeks reddened; annoyed that she was tricked by a 10-yr old girl. "Ami!" she scolded, "Don't scare me like that!"

Ami smiled impishly, "Sorry, sis. You just don't know how much fun it is to tease you."

She growled in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she slowly counted to ten, trying to control her temper.

Ami giggled again, and turned her to attention to a cardboard box. She dropped her flashlight and started shuffling through it. Amu surveyed the room around her with caution. It looked like the basement. Bookshelves holding various books lined up against the walls. Cardboard boxes were packed up in a messy pile. One painting on the wall caught her eye. It was a picture of a mysterious black figure of a man. The only things she could pick out that he wore a monocle and was probably dressed in some kind of uniform. His face was covered by the shadow of his hat. Who could this person be?

"Cool! Look at this!" Ami ran up to her, holding a golden necklace in her hand. A golden crescent moon hung from it. It seemed to be a type of charm and was surprisingly in good shape.

"Doesn't look it pretty?" she asked.

"_It looks kind of plain to me," _Amu thought to herself. She wasn't really that hung up in jewelry. Plus, that charm gave off some kind of eerie feel...

Ignoring her sister for a minute, Ami tried to put on the necklace and looked at herself in the small, round mirror at the corner of the room. It was the type of mirror that seemed to come from the kind in an ancient Japanese antique store.

Bored, Amu's eyes wandered over to the bookshelves. She noticed some of the books were sticking out. The titles written on the spines were what caught her attention: _The Spirit World_, _50 Facts You Need to Know about Ghosts_, _The Living Dead_, and _Paranormal Tales_. Her grandparents must've really loved reading things about the supernatural. Without thinking, she reached out to grab one of them. The title read: _Ghosts: Friend or Foe?_. She flipped through the pages randomly. She was taken back to see a lot of the pages annotated with a little written sentence here and there, several of the passages were highlighted in bright yellow marker, and someone even drew small cartoons on the side.

Amu stopped on one page that looked like it had been flipped to many times before. The corner was crinkled, obviously from someone holding onto the page for a long period of time. There was one passage on the page that was heavily highlighted and even circled. When she read it, the book nearly fell out of her hands.

_"**All ghosts in servitude** are **wiped clean of their memories** by the time they have stepped into the human world as a ghost. Even so, **if something happens to trigger their memory, there might be a chance of them being able to recall all of their memories back.** However, when a ghost does gain back its memories **one of the two following things will happen**: the ghost **will vanish, accepting the fact that he/she has died**, or,** will be driven insane, going berserk** and may even **turn against its own master or mistress**."_

She felt the temperature around her drop a couple of degrees. The book slipped out of her hands as Amu brought them up them to rub her arms. She couldn't think. All that was running through her mind were the words written in the passage, the stuff the ghosts told her yesterday, and the words the blonde girl said at the newspaper stand.

"_..I think it's because it brings back some memories he doesn't want to remember."_

"_But in order to do that, he has to erase our memories of what we were like as a human."_

"_If you know what's good for you, keep your distance from the supernatural beings."_

Someone's voice brought her back to reality. "Hi, Kairi!"

Yelping, Amu turned around to see Kairi standing at the bottom of the staircase. He was looking around the room warily, as if it had done him some wrong.

"H-How did you know we were here?" Amu managed to say, despite her head still swimming from what she had just discovered.

"Tadase told me you guys might be here," he answered. When he saw the look on her face, he added, "If you're wondering how he guessed you guys were here, it is because this room is crawling with anything that is occult-related, and he guessed that this must be the place since the young Ojou-sama likes the supernatural so much." He turned his back to them, "Now, quickly. Didn't you two wanted to help out with vacuuming the house?"

Ami pouted, upset that she had to leave so quickly, but then beamed. She ran up the stairs and stopped to look back at her pinkette sister.

"What are you waiting for, sis? Hurry up!"

"Huh? I'm coming!"

She noticed Kairi staring at her oddly, than shook his head. As he was walking up the stairs, Amu looked over her shoulder to gaze at the room one final time. A sudden flash of light from an object in the room caught her eye.

The small, round mirror in the corner of the room reflected something. It was Kairi's reflection; however, it wasn't the same Kairi with her. He seemed younger, his hands clutching something she couldn't make out. His dark brown orbs bore into her golden ones, his eyes filled with a desperate pleading tone. The reflection than vanished, just as soon as Kairi exited the room.

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**I really need to pay more attention to Kairi. -.- (And Kukai too, now that he is the only one with no hints to his past.) Otherwise, there won't be enough buildup when I reach the time that their past does get revealed. Next chapter will reveal more about ghosts in general.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize if this chapter starts off kind of slow to you. It's really just me trying to write more about the mysteries in this fanfic. I'll try to upload more chapters this weekend, since it's a three-day weekend. However, don't expect a lot of chapter updates next week. I have finals to take. =W=**

**This chapter reveals a little bit more about ghosts, the stories surrounding the Hinamori mansion, and a little bit of Kukai's past.**

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On a normal afternoon in Harima, one would hear the soft cry of cicadas from the forest near town. People would look up from their daily, go-about duties just to listen. However, there was one person in this quiet afternoon who would have not cared for a couple of insects.

A teenage pink-haired girl absentmindedly dusted a vase with a duster. Her mind was too preoccupied with various things. A part of her wanted to deny what she just read, reasoning that the author could've got his/her information wrong. Another part of her argued against that, reasoning that if the author had common sense, he/she would research his/her material, even if the passage may have possibly contained some bias.

She sighed. Either way, there was still a chance of what was written in the book to turn out to be true. The only way that the passage could've been denied if she asked someone who had the knowledge of this kind of thing to either certify or deny the fact.

Amu bit her lip as she thought about the ghosts. She knew it would be awkward to bring up such a topic before them. Not to mention, if it was true, than there might be even more frightening truths that they could be hiding from her.

"Hinamori-san?"

Tsukasa was looking straight at her with a questioning gaze, holding a teapot full of steaming hot water. He seemed to be taking it somewhere to use.

"Is something wrong? You seem kind of troubled."

She was about to protest and argue that she was alright, but then she sagged, just like a balloon that was being deflated. She couldn't say anything against that. There was no point in lying to herself anymore and saying that she was "fine".

He smiled mysteriously, almost as if he knew what was going on, "Would you like to talk about it with me? However, it will unfortunately require for you to have a conversation with me over a nice cup of tea." Without waiting for her answer, Tsukasa opened the door before him and went inside.

Seeing that she had no one else to turn to, she decided to follow him in. The room was a bedroom, and, just like all of the other rooms in the mansion, it was as grand and big yet as just as old as the rest of the house.

The butler walked out to the porch connected to the room. He gently poured some hot water into each teacup placed on a small, dainty, white coffee table placed in the corner. Taking out a spoon from his pocket, he stirred each cup until the tea was a nice shade of brown. He sat down on one of the chairs seated around the table and gestured Amu to one.

Amu plopped herself on a chair and stared into the teacup with little or no interest. Tsukasa took his cup to his lips and exhaled, as the tea went down his throat.

"So…." He looked up at her, "Do you have anything to say?"

"…….." She said nothing. She wasn't so sure whether or not she could trust Tsukasa. So far, all that she could conclude about his relationship with the ghosts, that they knew each other for quite some time, enough to be able to tell the faults of the other.

Seeing that she wasn't going to talk anytime soon, Tsukasa decided to fill up the silence himself. "Experts have always disregarded supernatural beings as products of people's imaginations or religious beliefs. They say no such things can exist." His unreadable purple eyes gazed at the white, fluffy clouds that passed overhead."Who knows what is true? The 'truth' may hold a fabrication of lies or holds some essential facts. We don't know if ghosts should belong in this world. But…what I do know is that all ghosts were once living people, brought back from the dead for some unknown reason."

"…But why should their memories be erased?" Amu asked.

He shrugged, "I can't exactly speak for the person responsible for this, but what I can say is that the ghosts find the pain of living in the human world with no recollection of who they are, a torture."

"….And if they do regain their memories?"

Tsukasa gave Amu a knowing look, "You went to the basement, didn't you?"

She sheepishly avoided his gaze and took a sudden interest in her shoes.

He smiled, "Now I can see why Tadase didn't wanted you guys to find that room. That room always held a lot of secrets and truths that are probably best left untouched. He always assumed that the room may make you learn some things that you probably wished that you have never looked into it."

Amu took her teacup and put it to her lips. For a bad cook, Tsukasa was surprisingly good at brewing tea. But if the basement was meant to be left untouched, why didn't someone put a lock on it? Maybe Tadase thought he was just being paranoid and didn't choose to carry out that task. Maybe Ami secretly had excellent lock picking skills that she didn't know about.

"…Your grandparents placed a lot of sacred objects when they bought this place. However, during the time when the previous owner had ownership of this mansion, the basement was in use, being a sort of a mini-library. Your grandparents just added more to that place."

"Do you know what it was used for back then?" she asked.

He shook his head, "I have no idea. But I did hear a lot of rumors surrounding this place. A lot of people said that the mansion belonged to several people, all in different pastimes. The one who owned this place before your family did was a scholar who was greatly interested in the occult. Before him, the mansion had belonged to a wealthy priest, and it is said he even built a shrine around this area. Someone even said that this house was once a hideout for a group of demon hunters." Tsukasa chuckled at such an idea.

Amu recalled that there were many stories surrounding her grandparents' house when she was little. Whenever people would see them pass, and then whisper to each other, her mother would always tell her to ignore whatever they said.

The stories varied from person to person. One person claimed that a ghost guarded the gates of the mansion, forbidding anyone to enter. Another person claimed there was a gateway to the spirit world somewhere in that house. One person even claimed that the entire mansion itself was cursed, and that all of the people living there were just illusions.

She rubbed her temples with her fingers, trying to figure out what this all meant. Amu was never really great at detective work. It only made her head spin with all of the varying and possible speculations.

Tsukasa pulled back his sleeve and looked at a small wristwatch on his wrist, "Uh oh. Apparently, I've kept you here for quite some time. You should go back."

"…_.But you didn't answer my main question,"_Amu thought sullenly. Bitterly disappointed, she rose from her seat and started to leave.

"Wait." She paused, her foot only inches away from the doorway. "Before you go, I must tell you one important thing." Amu turned to look at him straight in the eye. For once, his face was oddly serious, instead of his usual unreadable, cheerful-looking facial expression.

"Ghosts are beings of the dead, for even their very scent carries the air of death. However, what makes a ghost truly, in a sense, 'alive', and is able to fully exist in the human plane, is the strength of the relationship between a ghost and his/her master or mistress."

Tsukasa then went back to stirring his cup of tea and bringing it to his lips.

* * *

Amu was pretty much walking in a stupor the whole evening.

She noticeably talked less with the ghosts and avoided them as much as she could. Tadase, Nagihiko, and Kukai were deeply concerned about her strange behavior. Whenever they pressed her for information, she answered them vaguely or would just tell them she was fine, really. She couldn't tell them what was on her mind. She didn't want to see the reactions on their faces.

Amu felt her foot step on something. Bending over, she picked up the same golden necklace Ami found in the basement. She must've dropped it.

She went to Ami's bedroom and knocked the door. No answer. Amu could catch the sound of her steady breathing behind the door. She had fallen asleep.

Deciding it was best not to disturb her, Amu walked to her own bedroom, taking the necklace with her. She was unaware of how the necklace slightly shimmered in the moonlight. A voice echoed from it, which Amu thought was her conscience.

"_**Do you trust them?"**_ it said, _**"Can you trust those ghosts, whom all hold powers that could split you in half and may possibly be on the brink of insanity?"**_

"_I…I don't…know…" _Nagihiko had already showed signs of remembering some parts of his past, which meant he was closer to becoming insane or vanish completely. And there was also the possibility of the other ghosts regaining their memories as well. If they _did _go insane, what should she do?

As her mind became clouded with doubts, the charm shimmered once again and Amu's bright golden eyes became dull in color and devoid of emotions.

* * *

Kukai was whistling as he strolled down the hallway. He had just finished his duty of vacuuming up all of the dust in the dining room. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Amu slowly walking down right past him.

"Yo! Hinamori!" he greeted her. But she ignored him and continued walking. Kukai frowned. She had been acting weird all evening. He couldn't understand it. He was always able to start a conversation with his previous masters and mistresses. Even the polite Tadase and the charming Nagihiko couldn't get anything out of her. He wished he had Nagihiko's talent in order to understand what was going on with Amu. Nagihiko always had that air about him that told people that you could trust him with anything.

Kukai saw Amu open the front doors and went outside. Concerned for her safety, he went after her quickly. Now this definitely didn't make sense. A normal human being would have enough common sense to not go out for a night stroll in their pajamas.

"Hey-"His hand went right through her's, not even stopping to look at him when he cried out. Of course. He was a ghost. He could no longer grab someone's hand like he used to. But how was he going to stop her then? Suddenly, he had a wild thought that he should attack her to make her stop. Kukai shook his head furiously. What was he thinking?! There was no way he could attack his mistress like that!

For a moment, Kukai stared after her already distant figure sadly. Why did this had an odd sense of déjà vu? He vaguely recalled someone leaving him like this as well. But…no! Amu wouldn't suddenly leave them like that...Would she? It could explain her weird behavior this evening…..But she would've packed her stuff, not just walk out the door in her pajamas. And she would've most certainly taken her sister with her.

Left with no other option, he ran back into the house, calling out for the other ghosts' names, in hopes that they will come and prevent Amu from possibly leaving them forever.

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**I'm kind of upset with how this chapter turned out. Don't know why. =\ I just feel dissatisfied. Once again, constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Mysterious Angel Girl: Not all of them, but yes, most of them will go insane at one point. Tadase won't lose his insanity anytime soon unfortunately. xD I need some more buildup before that happens.**

**Black_kimino_otaku: I hope you don't mind me changing your original idea. This story has so much suspense going on that it just needed to be played around with a little bit.**

**Oh, and before I forget, credits go to Black_kimino_otaku for her sleep walking idea, even though I ended up throwing in a dramatic twist to it.**

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Nagihiko knew one thing. It was that, it was an uncharacteristic thing of Kukai to do: screaming and crying out for help. If he had come to this, then something must be terribly wrong.

He was already rushing down the aisle along with Kairi and Tadase. He noticed that Ikuto was missing. Just as he passed the lounge, he noticed Ikuto sleeping on the couch. Of course he would be there. Ikuto was always a very heavy sleeper.

Rolling his eyes, Nagihiko shook the teenage boy's shoulders. "Hey," he urged gently, "Wake up, Ikuto. Something happened and it is an emergency." Ikuto's eyelids opened up an inch, but he quickly shut them again and his head drooped in slumber.

Knowing he was left with no other choice, he roughly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to where Kukai was at. Ikuto was muttering incomprehensible words in his sleep. Things like: "taiyaki", "Charlie", "vibrato", "blonde", "sun hats", and "eggs".

When Nagihiko finally caught up with Tadase and Kairi, he found them standing outside, staring after someone's distant figure Kukai was pointing to. His earthly green eyes did not have the normal cheery friendliness they once had. It was replaced with a look of desperation and frustration of being unable to do anything.

Amu was getting closer and closer to the front gate. Her movements were as stiff as a robot, not even once stopping to look back. Nagihiko noticed that there was something shiny in her hand. It was a golden necklace with a shiny crescent moon hanging off from the chain. Tadase noticed it too, and paled.

"It can't be…." he muttered.

Blue electrical sparks gathered in Nagihiko's hand. All of the sparks swirled and slowly formed a light blue sphere. He held up his hand, ready to aim at Amu, hoping that the attack would be able to paralyze her, and in turn, stop her from leaving.

Tadase grabbed his shoulder, trying to stop him. "Don't," he pleaded, "You know it's a violation against the rules if we attack her, even if our intentions are good. Plus…" His ruby red eyes glanced at the necklace in Amu's hand, "There's a better way."

Kukai shook his head when he realized what he was getting at, "Believe me. I've tried. The necklace repels me whenever I touch it."

Nagihiko groaned, "Does that mean we have no other option?"

"Step back," someone ordered.

They all turned around to see Ikuto, who was previously half-asleep, now fully awake. His violet eyes blazed in the glow of the half moon up above. Wisps of dark shadows formed around his hands. The shadows then transformed to monstrous, giant, transparent, blue cat-like paws. Ikuto crouched down, almost like a cat cornering its prey.

Without warning, the paws lunged forward for Amu. She continued walking, oblivious to the incoming danger. Claws extended from each appendage, wrapped around her frail body and clutched her tightly in a vice-like grip. The cat had caught the running away mouse.

Amu struggled furiously in his grip, though her eyes still shone a dull shade of gold. The necklace remained clutched in her hand, her fingers wrapping around it tightly. Ikuto saw this, and carefully moved his paws back and forth, in hopes that the necklace will break free from her grip.

She let out an ear-piercing scream, the high volume of her voice nearly causing Ikuto to step back. Kairi noticed this, and quickly ran forward, his hands pulling out two katanas from thin air. He lashed out with his sword, the tip of the blade catching the necklace's chain. He sidestepped to his right, his sword pulling the necklace free from Amu's hand. Immediately, her golden eyes lost their dull color and her eyelids shut closed. Seeing this, Ikuto gently lowered his paws to the ground, her body landing on the floor with a soft thud.

Kairi turned to them, holding the necklace as far away from his body as possible. "What do we do with this?"

"It's Ami-chan's right?" Nagihiko pointed out, "We should return it to her." Giving him a solemn nod in response, Kairi went back inside the house, still holding out the katana from the handle.

"Hey. Do you know anything about that necklace?" Kukai asked Tadase, "There was something about it that seemed kind of strange."

Tadase frowned, as he racked his brain for any knowledge of the necklace. "…I heard that it was supposed to protect a human from any supernatural force."

"Which was why we couldn't touch it," Nagihiko realized, "It was protecting Amu-chan from harm."

He nodded, "That is a part of it. But in truth, the necklace, a charm, is also suppose to aid its owner in his/her time of need, by calling upon the powers of the paranormal. However, there is a drawback. The owner must trust in the powers of the supernatural and believe in them as well."

Kukai scratched the back of his head in confusion, "I don't get it. So why did the necklace possessed Amu in the first place if it's suppose to protect her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Ikuto, whose back was turned to them, "The reason why it possessed her in the first place, was because it sensed that she had no trust in us whatsoever. And in turn, the necklace possessed her and made her act out on her true fears."

"That's impossible!" Kukai argued, "We didn't do anything! Why would Amu not trust us?!"

"Because we are ghosts," said Tadase, stating the obvious. His eyes were glazed over with sadness. "Even though we were once human, we are no longer considered one. Because we have been brought back to the human world by a force out of this world, we are no longer human, but beings of the dead whom are constantly searching for their answer and their identity." Each ghost fell silent, Tadase's words still ringing in their ears.

Nagihiko kneeled down to look at an ant that was crawling on the ground. It was going about its business, even though it was dark out and it was nighttime. He extended a finger to touch it. The ant crawled through his transparent pale finger. His hands were no longer designed to touch another living being. They couldn't even grasp a single insect anymore. (Not even a plant, for they were considered living things too.)

He sighed as he looked up at the half moon that glowed brightly amongst the dark, cold, night sky. Even though he partially wished for being able to touch things again with solid hands, and appearing before humans with a presence of one, he knew no matter what happened to them, nothing would change the fact that they were dead in the world of humans and the people they once were in the past would never come back alive.

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On the same night Amu had attempted to run away from the Hinamori mansion, a lone red butterfly fluttered across the night sky up above Harima Town. The butterfly hovered over a certain place: a round-shaped burial ground with a shrine on top. A dark figure was in the center of the burial ground, bent over, his hands blindly searching the ground for something.

"Good work." It came from a person standing near the gateway to the burial ground, a simple teenage girl.

The butterfly landed on the girl's finger at the sound of her voice. A light breeze made her blonde twintails dance in the wind. Her violet eyes stared at the figure passively.

"I found you," she said. The butterfly vanished, its work accomplished. The figure turned its head to look at her, its eyes a frightening shade of crimson red. There was a wild look of madness in those eyes, a look that would creep out any normal human being by just looking into them. The figure's body was as dark as the shadows that covered the burial ground with a blanket of darkness. But she could identify the decaying odor reeking from its body. This was a demon. A total disfigured form of a ghost driven to madness.

Utau Hoshina wrinkled her nose in frustration and disgust. It wasn't just the revolting stench. She was dissatisfied with something else. She could not feel any warm sense of familiarity with the demon. This demon was not the person she was looking for. Her normally unmoved heart felt a small twinge of sadness. Was it always going to be this way? Her looking around the world blindly, hunting down demons, in hopes he was the person she was looking for throughout most of her life?

She slowly drew out her lethal black trident. Her preferable weapon for slaying demons. The demon flinched when she took it out, and backed up several steps. Utau vaguely recalled Rima once cornering a demon like this. Except that she looked down at the demon with sympathy, pity, a mixture of emotions whirling up inside the honey-colored pools of her apathetic eyes.

Then, she wondered, was this the right thing to do? She could've left the demon be, and not resort to having to drench her hands with bloodshed. But she knew that when a ghost became a demon, there was nothing for it do. Its master or mistress would abandon it, and it would try to run away from even its own self, knowing the painful truth that it could not return to the spirit world. Its life was trapped, being dead, yet unable to pass away peacefully. It was a demon hunter's job to end the demon's life once and for all, so it could finally pass away without having to live its life any further in torture.

Utau ran forward at a lightning speed, her trident held out like a large stake. The points on the trident punctured through the demon's body, blood spewing out in several places. Its mouth was open in a scream, but no sound ever came out. The demon's head slumped forward as their feet was surrounded in a puddle of blood. The decaying smell was now so overpowering that she almost felt like gagging. Wisps of smoke emerged from the demon. The wisps of smoke grew larger and larger, until the demon's body completely vanished. The pool of blood beneath Utau's feet vanished as well, the only evidence of the murder committed was the dried up blood on the points of her trident.

She took a handkerchief from her pocket and scrubbed it off. The last thing she wanted was for people to find out. The handkerchief was already soaked from blood of last night's work, but she could always buy another.

Utau held out her palm and the red butterfly materialized in her hand. Its antennas twitched as it waited for her next order.

"We're not finished yet," she told the butterfly, "There are still more demons around. Continue searching." The butterfly fluttered its wings in response and took off, flying high into the dark night sky once more.

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**This chapter is short compared to my previous ones. This chapter was really just to reveal the ghosts' thoughts about being a ghost and the role that demons play in this story.**

**By the way people, those random words Ikuto was muttering in his sleep...aren't random at all. They actually turn out to be very plot relevant later to Ikuto's past.**


	9. Chapter 9

***sigh* This is why I was so hesitant about putting up the anonymous review feature. I get reviews from some SC! fans that are diagnosed with the FanDumb disease. Of course, I won't put it down just because of some person flaming me.**

**Things I want my readers to know: First, if you're going to criticize my story, at least do it in a way that doesn't make you look stupid in the end. Second, I'm pretty sure I made it clear that this ****is an AU story, and does not take place in the SC! universe.**** If you don't like it, then don't read it.**

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It was Monday morning in the Hinamori mansion. Which also meant the first day of school for Amu and Ami in the town of Harima. Amu and Ami were busy eating their breakfast plates in the dining room when the phone rang. Tsukasa immediately rose from his seat to go and get it. He took the phone from the machine and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver. A mild look of surprise crossed his face when he heard the other person speak, "Are you….Midori Hinamori?"

"Mom?!" the two siblings shouted when Tsukasa mentioned their mother's name. The pair abandoned their meals and huddled around him, eager to hear their mother's voice again.

Amidst all of the crazy events that had happened in the Hinamori mansion, Amu had nearly forgotten about her parents. She couldn't exactly say it was because she was having too much fun. More like her mind was too preoccupied with the ghosts that she merely got distracted.

….Come to think of it, she couldn't remember anything that happened at all last night. But she noticed that the ghosts treated her rather stiffly and would greet her awkwardly. She wondered if it was because of her strange behavior to them last evening. Amu's heartbeat once again quickened in fear as her mind drifted back to the book she read in the basement. Why couldn't she get that stupid passage out of her mind?!

"…Ah, yes. Don't worry about it. They're just fine," Tsukasa said to her mother, "Yes. Of course you may talk to them." He handed the phone to Amu and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Umm…Mom?" Amu said into the receiver. She couldn't help it. It seemed like ages since she had last heard her mother's voice.

"_Amu!" _her mother exclaimed into the phone, _"Are you alright dear? Are you getting enough to eat? Are you taking good care of Ami? Did you pack up all of your school supplies? Were your applications given to the school already?"_

Amu giggled at her mother's fretfulness, "Don't worry, Mom. Everything's under control. Tsukasa-san already took care of the applications. So there's nothing to worry about."

Her mother giggled as well, _"I'm sorry. I should know. You're my daughter after all. So I'll believe everything's taken care of?"_

"Yes, Mom."

She could imagine her mother grinning from ear to ear at the other end of the phone, _"Oh good! Remember honey, if there's anything you want to talk about with Mama, call me anytime, okay?"_

Amu bit her lip and had to restrain herself from telling her about the ghosts and her doubts. She so desperately wanted someone to talk to and tell her what she should do. Tsukasa really didn't help her that much. He merely gave her some questions to think about….Or was he implying something amongst his mysterious talk?

"Yeah. I get it, Mom."

* * *

After a much lengthy conversation on the phone with Ami, Amu's mother finally hung up with a cheerful goodbye and letting them know that their father said hi to them. Amu held her school briefcase as she checked out her school uniform with a frown on her face. It consisted of a white shirt with a breast pocket, a green-and-red striped tie, and a plaited green-and-red skirt. The skirt was noticeably shorter than the school uniforms she had to wear in the city. She guessed it was because it was summer time, when the weather was hotter than normal.

"Sis! Hurry up!" Ami's school uniform consisted of a frilly white top and a plaited orange-and-yellow skirt. She didn't seem too pleased about it, since she said that her uniform was way better than her own. Amu noticed the backpack slung over her sister's shoulders. It was a black and orange backpack with a black one-eyed cat attached to it.

"…..Ami? What is that?" she asked, pointing to the cat.

Ami took off her backpack and looked at the cat, "Oh, this? I found it in the basement and thought it looked cute. So, I kept it." She cuddled the cat to her chest.

"_It looks more like a symbol of bad luck," _Amu thought, but she didn't dare say that aloud to Ami.

The two went to the front door together and saw Nagihiko there, holding their bento boxes. His amber eyes were clouded, staring off into space. He noticed them coming, and immediately gave them a bright smile.

"Hey, Amu-chan, Ami-chan. Ready for school?" Ami nodded cheerfully, while Amu just shrugged.

"Who made these lunches?" Amu asked him as she took her bento box.

"I did. And if you're worried that Tsukasa may one day try to cook you lunch, don't. I'll prepare your school lunches from now on," he said, winking at her. Amu was getting a strange notion that Nagihiko may have been a playboy when he was still alive.

She noticed the large blue Honda Fit car parked in front of the gate, "Who's driving us?"

Nagihiko blinked in confusion, not so sure himself. But then someone answered the question for him.

"I am." Tsukasa placed his hand on the top of Nagihiko's head. He then noticed the facial expressions on Nagihiko's and Amu's faces, "What?"

"….You can drive?" Nagihiko asked, almost in disbelief.

Tsukasa was confused by his doubt in him, "Of course I can. I'm old enough to own a driver's license. So why do you look so worried? Are you saying that you doubt my driving skills? I passed the test you know."

"It's not that…." said Nagihiko. He muttered the next part of the sentence under his breath, "…..It's just that it's hard to imagine you as a responsible adult."

Tsukasa ignored him and walked towards the gate. Ami followed him, already excited for her first day of school. Amu waved goodbye to Nagihiko as she went off. She noticed that the other ghosts were nowhere in sight, Nagihiko being the only one who went to see her off. Were the others that disturbed by her behavior from yesterday?

She got into the car, and straight away, Ami opened the car window and poked her head outside to feel the cool breeze blowing past her face. Tsukasa started the engine and drove down the rocky road leading to the suburban town below.

* * *

Amu took a deep breath as she looked up at the new high school she will be going to for the rest of June. Harima High School. It wasn't exactly as big as her old high school back home, for the campus was much smaller and the walls were painted with a light shade of peach. A large tree stood in the corner of the campus, towering over the building with its large branches. She didn't saw a lot of students lingering around the entrance or the campus. A few students would pass her; some looked her way and whispered to their friends, but most had only given her a side glance and continued walking. Maybe she didn't stick out as much as she thought she would.

She walked in, heading for the main office. There was couple of teachers in there, all in their individual desks, preparing the classes they would give to their students. She looked around nervously, a little lost on who she should talk to. One of the teachers noticed her standing at the doorway.

"Oh, hi! Are you looking for someone?"

"I'm….Amu Hinamori," said Amu, bowing her head as she did so, "The new transfer student here. I want to know what my classroom is."

Apparently, her name struck a bell in the teacher's mind, "Oh……_Hinamori_." She went on her computer, typing something in. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, the teacher finally said, "You're in class 3-E. It's on the third floor. Your homeroom teacher isn't here yet. He should be here in a short while. You can look around a bit."

"Okay! Thanks!" Amu went out to the hallway, relieved that she was out of that room. It was cramped, not to mention, blistering hot in there.

She took out her cellphone and looked at the time. 8:15. Fifteen more minutes until homeroom. She had plenty of time until then.

* * *

So far, from what Amu could tell, a lot of the students had spent their time chatting to each other in their classrooms. And just like at the entrance, most of the students she passed in the hallway didn't gave much of a reaction to seeing her, even though her pink hair and bright golden eyes stood out like a sore thumb in contrast to the other student's.

She did notice a student that stood out as much as her though.

It was a girl who looked to be at a younger age than her, perhaps one year younger. Her caramel hair was tied up in two small pigtails by large red bows, and she had eyes the same shade of color as her hair. She was running after something at high speed. It was a 100 yen coin rolling on its side.

"Hey! Don't run away!" she called out to the coin. The girl lunged forward….but only fell face forward and slid on the ground like how a baseball player would try to get to the next base in time. The coin rolled into one of the openings on a metal cover placed on the floor. It landed on top of a hot water pipe contained inside.

The girl stared down at the place in despair, "It…..It…fell…" All of the sudden, she cried out loudly like a child who has lost her favorite toy, "Waahhh!! And that was part of my allowance I was going to use to buy that slice of chocolate cake at the bakery!!!"

Amu sweatdropped, _"She's worried because of some chocolate cake?"_

After watching her cry for several minutes, she sighed. Amu searched around her pocket for her wallet. Taking out a 100 yen coin, she walked over to the girl.

"Here," she said, handing the coin over to her, "You can have mine."

The girl stared at her, her caramel eyes wide with surprise, "Really?"

"Of course."

Suddenly, the girl jumped up in joy and grabbed Amu into a tight embrace, "Yay! Thanks so much! You're a real lifesaver!" Amu struggled in her embrace, the girl's arms wrapping tightly around her neck.

"Can't….breath…"

"Ah! Sorry!" The pigtailed-girl let go, giving the pinkette some breathing space. Amu collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"I'm Yaya Yuiki, a second-year," the girl said, introducing herself. She held out her hand for a handshake, "What's your name?"

Amu took her hand and shook it, "Uh….I'm Amu Hinamori. A third-year."

Yaya, the pigtailed brunette, froze and her eyes became even wider with realization, "Hinamori? You mean you live in that house-"The school bell interrupted her, sounding the beginning of first period.

"Oh crap!" Amu swore, "I'm going to be late! Bye!" She ran off, back to the main office on the first floor.

"Amu Hinamori…." Yaya muttered, frowning, "The granddaughter of Shima and Arata Hinamori."

* * *

**I feel like I've neglected Amu's parents. D: You'll get to hear from them every now and then. If you guys have any suggestions for any type of scene you would like to see in this story, or have some questions that you want to be addressed in this story, please let me know, because I'm running out of ideas here.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I should warn you people that any suggestions you have may turn out differently than what they originally were.**

**HappyBunny855: If you read chapter 8, then you'll know that Amu got possessed by the necklace last night and tried to escape.**

**iSugar: Don't worry, I won't. I'm having way too much fun anyway. :P**

**vampire-kitty-chic: I'll take your beach idea under consideration. Though I warn you, I may end up throwing in some kind of twist in there.**

* * *

"This is Amu Hinamori, and she'll be joining us for the rest of the year."

Amu never felt so nervous. She was usually nervous about each new school year, but never, had she ever, stood up in the front of the class like this and introduced herself. It didn't help that the most of the students weren't really paying attention or only stared at her with little or no interest. Or maybe it was better that way. No one would notice if she stuttered or something like that.

"….Pleased to meet you." That was the only thing she said. Not a single stir rose among the students when she spoke.

The teacher directed her to a seat in the corner of the back row near the window. She sat down, setting her briefcase by her seat. She gazed out the window, having a perfect view of the school campus. The tree she had spotted earlier was tall enough to reach the third-floor window.

She remembered staring out of the window like this back at her old school. Her classroom there had a view of the school courtyard, which was the size of a basketball court. She would usually see students playing under the shade of the trees during break or lunch time.

Along with that memory, she remembered her old friends back in the city: Wakana and Manami. The three would always eat together in the courtyard and chat to each other about the latest events of the day. Her heart sank as she thought of her old friends. That Yaya girl might make a good friend, but what other friends could she find here in this school? She wasn't so sure if she could consider the ghosts as her friends. Kukai had the air of an older brother she never had, Tadase was always so nice to her, Nagihiko seemed to be a very trusting person, Kairi was always reliable, and Ikuto was just….Ikuto.

"Thinking about me?"

Amu glanced up to see Ikuto stretched out on one of the branches on the tree outside. He had a relaxed posture and had his arms tucked behind his head.

Amu's chair fell over to its side.

Everyone's stare was now directed at her. "Is something wrong, Hinamori-san?" the teacher asked.

She shook her head wildly, "No! Nothing's wrong!" The teacher looked at her in suspiscion but continued on with the lesson.

She sat back down on her chair and quickly wrote something down on a sheet of paper. Amu slammed it on the window for Ikuto to see. The sheet of paper read: "_What are you doing here?!"_

Ikuto got up and hovered in mid-air, just above the branch. He came closer to the window until his head went through the window.

"I got lost," he admitted, his voice now clearly audible.

She looked at him in disbelief, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.

"You. Got. _Lost_?!" she growled through clenched teeth. Her hands looked desperate to tear something up out of frustration.

"You see," he explained, "I was sleeping in the trunk of Tsukasa's car. And before you ask why I was there in the first place, it was because I was too sleepy to care where I slept. And before I knew it, I fell out of the car unconsciously and landed on the street. When I looked around, I saw this place and thought that this tree might make a good place to nap."

Amu rolled her eyes, "You just like to sleep anywhere, don't you?"

At the sound of her voice, a girl looked up from her work and stared at them. Amu noticed, and started to panic. This girl was going to see Ikuto and she'll be asked very awkward questions, or she will report it to the teacher, and everyone will find out that she had been living in a house with five ghosts!

However, she only shrugged and went back to her work. Amu blinked. She didn't see Ikuto?

As if he read her mind, Ikuto said, "Other people can't see us. You can see us because you're our mistress." He moved his whole entire body through the window glass and landed on an empty seat beside her. He placed his feet on the desk and leaned back in his chair, yawning.

"Yeah, I feel so special," she remarked sarcastically.

* * *

It was soon lunchtime. But Amu wasn't really pleased. It wasn't because Ikuto had bothered her throughout class. In fact, he kept quiet and didn't really say much. Rather, it was the mere fact that his presence was there, which kept distracting her and constantly made her look up to glance at him from her work. Now, she was at the point of throwing something at the wall.

She got up, ready to vent out her anger at him, but he was gone. That was odd. Maybe he finally decided to go home. Well good riddance then. But didn't he say that he had no idea of how to get home on his own?

"_Nope! I am not going to go out and look for him!"_ she thought stubbornly, _"Let him get lost! See if I care!"_

A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "Amu-chi!"

She turned around to see Yaya, the girl she met before first period class. She was grinning, holding a plastic bag in her hand. Many of her classmates turned to look at her, and unlike how she entered the room, they all whispered to each other in low voices.

"Are you free?" she asked, "If you want, you can have lunch with Yaya!"

Amu thought about it. She had originally planned on having lunch in the classroom but a little bit of company wouldn't hurt.

"Sure!" she replied, "Where are we eating though?"

Yaya grabbed her hand and started pulling her out of the classroom, "Yaya knows a special place! Come on!"

Before she knew it, Amu felt like she was flying past a dozen of classrooms. Yaya's hand was clasped tightly around her's, and she was running at high speed, dragging her all the while. She wasn't so sure how much time had passed when they finally stopped. They were in some kind of yard, a lush green area with a few trees and a couple of bushes. A part of the brick wall that surrounded the school was here as well. This was the back of the school, a place that didn't look like it got frequent visits from the students.

Yaya sat herself against the wall of the school building. She placed her plastic bag besides her.

"Sit," she told her, "You'll get tired if you stand around all day." Amu sat down next to her, placing her bento box on her lap.

Yaya fished around her plastic bag for something and took out a waffle. She handed it to Amu, pointing it at her firmly, "Here you go. As payment for giving Yaya that 100 yen."

"Ah…No thanks. I have my own lunch."

She wouldn't hear any of it however, and Amu ended up taking the waffle anyway. Yaya produced an identical waffle from her bag and started shoving it into her mouth. She looked very pleased as her she bit into the biscuit.

"…You're having a waffle for lunch?" Amu asked her.

Yaya shook her head in response, "No. Yaya also has tea and chocolate cake."

A sweatdrop slid down the pinkette's forehead, "You're eating that many sweets?"

She nodded happily, "Yep!"

"Aren't you afraid of getting diabetes or something?"

"It's okay! Yaya never gets sick!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Amu could see there was no point in arguing with her. She bit into her waffle as well.

"You know," she said between chews, "I'm surprised that no one here gave a strong reaction to seeing me. I mean, when I went into town the other day, so many people were staring at me."

Swallowing the last of the waffle down, Yaya licked her fingers before speaking, "Yaya thinks it's because of how frequent the supernatural happenings are in this town. A lot of eventful stuff happens, so a brand new transfer student isn't really that exciting to them."

"I see."

She then lowered her head, the edges of her smile turning to a frown, "Plus….given the people's superstitious nature in this town…Yaya guesses the name of Hinamori isn't very welcoming to them."

"Do you mean….it's because of the rumors back then?"

Yaya nodded her head slowly, her smile now faint. Noticing the sad expression on Amu's face, she quickly added, "But don't worry about it! There was a student who transferred here a couple of months ago too. She got popular really fast, so you can become popular too, if you work hard!" Amu wasn't listening to her though, her mind off somewhere else.

She recalled the feelings she felt when people started gossiping about her family and the Hinamori mansion. It was a mixture of fear and anger. Fear, because she was afraid of all of the stories turning out to be true. The house had always given off an ominous aura to her. Anger, because this was her family they were talking about. She hated to see them trashing her family just because of some superstition….That was probably how her disbelief in the paranormal had developed. She remembered her mother's words whenever she told her how troubled she was by the rumors.

"_Don't believe them, Amu. Instead, believe in your family and the fact that those rumors are not true. If you don't believe, it will never come into the light."_

"_Believe….huh?" _Amu's mind went back to the ghosts. Could she believe and trust them? Whenever her heart longed for companionship in the house, those ghosts were always there to fill up that empty space.

"Ah! My bag!"

A sudden gust of wind carried away Yaya's plastic bag, leaving the area of the backyard.

"How did you let it get away?" Amu asked her, dumbfounded.

Yaya rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Yaya was taking out some stuff, and before Yaya knew it, whoosh! The bag flew away!"

"Well, it's okay. It's just a plastic bag."

She pouted at her words, "Problem is….that bag has napkins and forks for my chocolate cake."

Amu's shoulders slumped, "You mean we have to go get it?"

"Yes!" she shouted, her fist pumping the air, "Starting Mission: Getting Back Yaya's Plastic Bag!"

"I don't think you need to give it a name…." Amu said, a little taken back by her companion's enthusiasm.

The two walked towards the far corner of the backyard. There was a small brick path, leading to someplace. They followed it, Yaya skipping from brick to brick. They saw some kind of shed up ahead. It was made of wood and was surrounded with all types of gardening equipment: a wagon, a shovel, and a bag of dirt. Yaya's plastic bag was at a girl's feet, whom was standing near the shed. She had long butterscotch curls that barely went past her waist. She wore a black headband and held a book tightly to her chest. Her seemingly passive honey-colored eyes stared at them when she saw them coming. For some reason, Amu felt as if she saw them before….

"It's you!" she blurted without thinking, "The girl back at the newspaper stand!"

Yaya looked at her in confusion, "You mean you know Rima-tan?"

"Rima-tan?"

She gestured to the small blonde girl, "That's right! She's Rima Mashiro, a third-year like you. She isn't the friendliest person on earth, but Yaya says she's not that bad!"

"Uh…Nice to meet you!" Amu bowed her head to her in respect, "I'm-"

Rima turned her head the other way, almost like rolling her eyes, "I know who you are."

"Oh…." She swore; this girl was difficult to get along with. How was Yaya able to become friends with a person like her? She noticed that there were boxes of chocolates around her feet. Was it possibly because she had a sweet tooth like her?

"Here, Yaya." She handed one of the boxes to the brunette, along with her plastic bag.

Yaya took the box and bag with a grateful smile. "A lot of the boys here have a crush on Rima-tan," she explained to Amu, "So she always gets a lot of gifts from them. It isn't always sweets. Sometimes, one of the boys will give her something more expensive, or even a love letter, but of course, she always turns them down." She then giggled, "Since she can't eat them all, Rima-tan always give me some of the chocolates." So that was it. Rima saw Yaya somewhat as a garbage disposal for the constant stream of gifts she received.

"Do you want to eat lunch with us, Rima-tan?" Yaya asked her, "You're always by yourself, excluding your obsessive fanboys."

"No thanks," she replied quietly, looking down at the book clutched in her hands. It was strangely burnt in several places, the corners of the cover charred a heavy black. Amu tilted her head to the side and read the title on the cover: _Great Gag Manga King_. Did Rima have a secret love for gags?

"Oh, okay…." Yaya said, disappointed. She tugged on Amu's hand, signaling that they should leave. Nodding, the pair walked away, leaving Rima alone by the garden shed. Looking over her shoulder, Amu saw Rima staring at the book with a small smile. She gave the spine an affectionate stroke with her finger. One thing she could say about Rima for sure: that the book she was holding was the most precious thing in the world to her.

* * *

**Please point out any grammar mistakes, give constructive criticism, if any, and suggestions are welcome.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Uh oh. Everyone is already speculating a connection between Nagi's past and Rima's gag manga. In order to avoid giving out too much spoilers though, I refuse to say anything. x)**

* * *

For the rest of the school day, Ikuto had not shown up. Amu wasn't so sure what distracted her more in class. When Ikuto was there, or when he wasn't there. Then again, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway.

She sighed heavily as she walked out of the school's front doors. Since she kept getting so distracted, she ended up getting a lot of homework for not paying attention. Could the day get any worse?

"Sis!"

Ami was waving to her from the school ga-Wait a minute, why was Ami there?

"Ami! What are you doing here?!" she shouted to her as she came over. She noticed that Ikuto was with her, leaning against the brick wall.

"Yo," he said, greeting her. Amu struggled to not let relief show on her face.

"Where were you?!" she asked him, her golden eyes flashing with annoyance, "You left so suddenly that I thought you went home!"

"Awww," Ikuto cooed teasingly, "Was little Ojou-sama worried about me?"

"No, I wasn't!" she protested, face flushed with embarrassment.

Ami tugged on her sleeve. "Sis, sis," she whispered, "People are staring." Amu looked around, and saw that many of the people passing by were staring at her, wondering who in the world she was talking to. Laughing nervously, she immediately decided to turn her attention on Ami.

"Aren't you suppose to be at school?" she asked her sternly, "You could've called me to pick you up."

She shook her head, "That's not it. Don't you remember the promise you made back at the car?"

"Promise?" Amu frowned, trying to remember what kind of promise she made with Ami…

* * *

Amu was staring out of the car window in boredom, watching many houses and people pass by. Ami was calling her in an urgent tone.

"Sis. Sis. Sis!"

"What is it, Ami?" She was a little peeved that her sister had disrupted the peaceful state her mind was in.

"Can you go shopping with me?" she requested, "I want to check out the rest of town."

"Yeah, sure." She turned her attention back to the window while Ami grinned in satisfaction.

* * *

"Oh…That promise," she said upon realization.

"You will, right?" Ami pleaded. She looked like she was ready to burst into tears if she said no.

Amu sighed. There was no way in winning over her sister. "Alright. I'll come with you."

"Yay!" she cheered.

"Does that mean I'll have to come too?" Ikuto asked, disgusted.

"No," Amu answered pointedly, "You can leave."

"But I don't want to," he whined.

"Weren't you complaining about it just a few seconds ago?!" she snapped.

"Sis, people are staring again."

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

The trio walked through the town's shopping district. When Amu had gone out shopping on a Saturday, the district had a few people scattered here and there, mostly chatting to each other on their shopping trips. It was a Monday, and a lot more people were out, too busy to say anything. It nearly reminded Amu of her shopping trips back home.

Ikuto was following them in silence, not really saying much, save for a few moments when he would jump into their conversations to comment on something. It usually turned out to be something infuriating or eye-rolling.

"Let's go over there!" Ami exclaimed, pointing to a clothing store. Amu agreed with enthusiasm. She could use some new outfits. Ikuto groaned loudly in exasperation when he saw where she was pointing to.

The store had a wide variety of clothes that hung on the racks and was folded up neatly on the display shelves. Mannequins stood around them, posing in the store's new brand clothes. When Ikuto spotted a bench to sit on, he immediately shot there for a moment's rest.

"What are you doing?" Amu asked him.

"I need to rest," he replied, "All that walking made me tired."

She rolled her eyes, "So says the person who can float."

"Wow! Look at this!" Ami was holding a pink ruffle dress with tan-colored sleeves. The collar of the dress was huge, and could be zipped and unzipped by a small zipper.

"It looks good on you," commented Amu. Ever since she turned 10, Ami had cutted down on the kiddy and frilly dresses. She now went for a more casual-type of clothing, with a hint of girliness thrown in. When her parents discovered this, her mother squealed over how her little daughter was growing up, while her father wailed in despair, knowing it will now be harder to find a type of clothing that will satisfy his younger daughter's wants.

A certain dress caught Amu's eye. It was yellow in color and had spaghetti straps. Most of Amu's clothes were black in color, which would be bad if she sat out in the sun too long, especially since it was summer.

"That will look good on you, Amu-chi!"

She turned around to see Yaya, grinning at her. She was wearing a pink and white baseball cap on her head. The visor of the cap was a bright orange. A plastic bag with the store's brand name on it was held in her hand. She must have just finished shopping.

"Oh hi Yaya," she said, "I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah. Yaya was just…" She paused for a brief moment, as if pondering what to say next. "….Passing through," she finished. The edges of her smile twitched slightly. "Oh yeah!" she said, changing the subject, "Yaya saw Rima-tan on her way here!"

This caught her interest, "Really? Where?"

"Ummm….." Yaya put a finger on her chin, trying to remember. "Yaya doesn't remember….It was like this weird place for fortune telling…."

"Fortune telling?" Why would Rima go there? She didn't seem like the type to believe in that kind of stuff. Then she noticed something.

"Huh? Where did Ami go?" The place where the younger brunette stood was now empty. The rack where she took the ruffle dress had one empty space, indicating that she took the dress with her.

* * *

Ikuto kept clenching and unclenching his fists. He felt cramped in this place. Too many people were around, not to mention, the sea of colors from the clothes made his head spin. He preferred the feeling of the being outside; where he could go anywhere he wanted, instead of being trapped in this single building.

He did not notice a peculiar old lady staring at him. Her face was slightly wrinkled with age, her hair a shade of lavender, and her lips were a bright cherry red. A pair of glasses was perched on the bridge of her nose. She wore a blue pearl necklace around her neck along with a yellow flowery shirt over her white top.

Ikuto looked up when she spoke, "Who are you, young man?"

His violet eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You can see me?"

The lady let out a loud sigh, "Just as I thought. Another one of those supernatural beings." She started to walk away, and for a moment, Ikuto thought she was going to leave, but then she said something.

"Why are you gawking at me like an idiot? Hurry up and follow."

Hesitant, Ikuto slowly got up from his seat and went after the mysterious old lady.

* * *

Where was that woman?! She said she would be out for only a little while, but now Rima was starting to lose her patience. She knew it was useless for her to visit, since she already knew so much, but her mind was still plagued with so many questions she wanted to find the truth to.

Truths she didn't want to delve into too deeply.

Sighing, she got up from her chair and walked out the door. She saw no point in waiting if she was going to take this long. The wind chime tinkled softly as the door swung open. Rima had only found out one thing, and that thing was something she already knew about it or least acknowledged.

"_Nearly everyone in this town has something they don't want to remember, and so they purposefully, or unconsciously, shove it out of their minds. You, on the other hand, know that you have memories you don't want to recall and blocked it out of your mind. But your motive is because you refuse to admit to the sin you have committed many years ago."_

She inwardly shivered. Just exactly what kind of sin did she committed? She couldn't recall. It was blocked out of her mind so long ago, that it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. She couldn't even remember why her gag manga was so precious to her. The only thing she knew was that the gag manga contained some fond memories, yet at the same time, sorrowful ones. Memories she couldn't recall but didn't want to let go of.

Rima's cellphone vibrated in her pocket, snapping her out of her thoughts. She brought it to her ear, "Hello?"

"………"

"…Yeah. I'm coming." She hung up.

There was one thing that the old woman said that bothered her even more than the "sin" part. It was something she wasn't so sure whether she should be happy about or fear.

"_Like all of the other people in this town, the person that's most precious to you is closer than you think."_

She unconsciously fingered the charred pages of her book and hugged it closer to her chest.

* * *

**Next chapter will introduce Nobuko Saeki and Utau to Amu. Constructive criticism and suggestions are appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

"ACHOO!"

Nagihiko's sneeze echoed across the grounds of the mansion. All of the servants, including Tsukasa, were sweeping up the fallen fruit from the trees nearby with their brooms. The fruit were too small nor exactly that edible to eat. They frequently had to swat away a bird that would fly over to snack on one of the fallen fruit.

"Are you okay, Nagihiko?" Tadase asked, concerned, "Maybe you're getting sick."

Kukai wrinkled his nose in thought. "Can ghosts even catch a cold?" he wondered out loud.

"I doubt it," said Kairi, "We are beings of the dead, remember? We can't get killed, never mind catch a cold."

"Guys, don't worry about it," Nagihiko assured them, "It was just a random sneeze, nothing big."

"Or it could be an indication that someone's talking about you," suggested Tsukasa, wearing a strange smile on his face. There was something about that smile that bothered Nagihiko.

"Why do I get the feeling that you know something I don't?"

He shrugged in response, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

* * *

Amu was searching around the shopping district wildly for any trace of her sister. The person at the cash register had said Ami had gone there to pay for the dress and seemed to notice something that caught her interest, and then left. Which didn't help all that much. Yaya had already left for home, saying that her parents would scold her if she was out too late.

She was now before a water canal that cut the town's shopping district into two. A small bridge connected the halves. The water in the canal looked quite deep, and was a murky shade of green. At the bridge, she noticed a teenage girl there with her blonde hair up in twintails. And besides her was a…..girl holding a pink dress?!

She ran over and sure enough, that girl was Ami, chatting to the teenage girl. There was something about the teenager's blonde hair and striking violet eyes that seemed similar to Amu. Almost like she saw her on a CD cover….

"Sis!" Ami cried out when she saw her sister, "Do you know who this is? She's Utau Hoshina!" She squealed excitedly, "And she moved here after she retired from her singing career!"

A couple of years ago, Utau Hoshina was a teenage model who turned into a singer after catching the interest of a recording company. Her albums immediately hit the stores and were a hit on the charts. Amu remembered that she was the main talk of her school back home. Whenever she released a new album, her friends would always chatter about it. And it wasn't just her friends. Ami was a fan of her too. Whenever one of Utau's live concerts were shown on TV, Ami would always perk up at the sound of her voice and rush over to the screen and sing along. She admired Utau so much, that she even requested a karaoke machine from her parents as a Christmas gift.

However, something happened. No one was sure of the details. But, Utau had suddenly announced that she would retire from her singing career and return to living a normal life. All of her fans across Japan were astonished to hear such a thing. Many of them, including Amu's own friends, sent her fan mail, demanding to know why she retired. But Utau remained silent, leaving many of her fans sulking from disappointment.

Amu had some admiration for the idol, she'll admit. The way how she sang confidently on stage and how strong and powerful her voice was, always left her awestruck. But when she had heard about her retirement, she, like the others, was bitterly disappointed but soon came over it.

"A-Are you really…Utau Hoshina?" Never, had she thought, she would be able to meet the idol directly for the very first time.

The ex-singer nodded her head. She was quite different than what Amu imagined what she would be like if she met her in real life. She was more beautiful in person, but her violet eyes did not shine with a gentleness and happiness like on stage. Instead, there was a fierce glint of confidence in her eyes and she almost stared at her with a glare.

Her mind went back to what Yaya had said back at lunchtime. She said that there was a transfer student a couple of months ago who instantly became popular with the other students. Was it Utau……?

"Hey, hey, Utau-chan," said Ami, "Are you ever going to sing again?"

Crossing her arms, she answered bluntly, "No." She acted like she had answered this question multiple times. Noticing this, Amu swiftly scolded her little sister.

"Ami! Don't be so rude!"

She pouted, "But I was just asking a question!"

"Even so, it's rude!"

"No, it's not!"

Utau stared at the two arguing siblings oddly, "Are you two….always like this?"

Her words made them look up. "Oh….well….sometimes," Amu answered honestly. She shot Ami a glare for bickering so childishly before the most famous singing idol of Japan. Ami stuck out her tongue in response.

For a brief moment, Utau's eyes softened, "I see…." She abruptly turned around and started to walk away.

"Ah! Now look what you did, Ami! Because of you, she thought we were annoying and went away!"

Stopping, Utau looked over her shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'm not leaving because of that. I was originally here to do something, but now, I see no point in doing it." She resumed walking, leaving the two siblings confused about what she said.

"Crap!" Amu suddenly swore, "I left Ikuto back at the store!"

* * *

They were running back to the clothing store as fast as they could. However, they soon lost track of where they are and began wandering around the town, trying to find the store. Even though this place was smaller than a city, the shopping district was huge.

A certain shop caught Amu's eye. The name of the store hung above the doors. _Saeki's Fortune Telling_. Saeki….Why did that name sounded so familiar?

Then she remembered Yaya saying that she saw Rima in a store that seemed like it was for fortune telling. Could this be the place?

Forgetting about Ikuto for a moment, she peeked through the window and saw an old lady with glasses staring hard at someone in a chair. He had midnight blue hair and-Wait, wasn't that Ikuto?

Swinging open the door, the lady looked up at the sound of the wind chime, "Oh, another customer. What would it be? Crystal ball or tarot cards or palm reading?"

"Umm…..I'm not here for fortune telling, I'm actually looking for him…." she said, pointing to Ikuto.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I thought you didn't care what would happen to me."

"Shut up!" she retorted, not wanting to be reminded of what happened previously.

"Sit down," said the old lady; gesturing to a chair, "I'm Nobuko Saeki. A famous fortune teller around these parts. I'm sure you have heard about my show on TV, yes?"

Her eyes widened in realization, "Nobuko?! Nobuko Saeki? My mom's magazine did an article on you. Everyone says that you're the real thing and you can even predict future." Then she smiled sheepishly, "Not to be…umm…rude, but I'm not so sure whether or not your predictions are actually true."

Nobuko sighed, "I don't blame you. Sometimes I detest my own spiritual sense. Having the ability to see ghosts and able to know all of the secrets people keep hidden in this town? Not pleasant." She then grabbed a container of peanuts off of a table besides her. She opened it and threw one into her mouth, "Waunt shome?"

When Amu shook her head, she placed the container back on the table. "This young man and I were discussing you and the Hinamori mansion. There are four other ghosts living with you, correct?"

Amu nodded. Her stomach churned at the memory of how the ghosts had all acted distant to her this morning.

"A lot of the people in this town are waiting for someone. They want that person to come to them as quickly as possible." Nobuko directed her stare at Amu, "But you girl, is a special child. You're not waiting for anyone, instead, there's someone waiting for _you_."

"Waiting for me….?" Did this connect with her long forgotten memories of the past? But who would be waiting for her? Maybe her friends back from the city? No, that was not it. Nobuko seemed to be implying that it was someone in this town.

"….Is it the ghosts?" she guessed.

"Maybe," replied Nobuko.

"What else can you tell me about them?"

She casted a wary glance at Ikuto before saying, "I am not so sure about your servants' past, nor am I sure about what will befall them in the end, but one thing I can say is that none of your ghosts died a natural death. Nor did they die from some kind of poor health condition. They all supposedly died at around your age or even before that."

Ikuto gazed at the floor, obviously not in a mood for the subject to be discussed any further.

"Can we go?" he complained, "It's nearly dinnertime."

"One more question." He snorted but refrained himself from arguing.

"Did a short blonde girl pass by here?" Amu asked Nobuko, "I heard from a friend that she saw her here, so…."

"Yes," she answered, "Well, she _was _here to say the least. I merely went out for a few minutes of shopping, and when I came back, that girl had already left. She really has quite the attitude, I tell you."

Amu sweatdropped, "I can understand that. Not to be nosy, but do you know why she came here in the first place?"

Her face darkened, "Sorry. That info is classified. I can't tell what goes on between me and my client."

She felt a little disappointed by those words, though she knew it was none of her business and shouldn't be looking into it in the first place. Even though Rima acted very cold towards her, she can't help but feel that they could be good friends one day.

* * *

**I apologize for straying away from the ghosts the last few chapters. I promise, I will try to write a chapter focused on one of the ghosts the next chapter, since now all the other ghosts besides Ikuto (And maybe even Nagihiko.) are being neglected. **

**All of the ghosts did not pass away from old age nor did any of them died from some kind of deadly illness. :P Which basically narrows it down to these type of deaths:**

**1. Murder**

**2. Accidental**

**3. Suicidal **

**Speculate all you want, folks. Most people by now should already have some kind of idea of how Nagihiko died. If you don't know, then that's okay. It will be covered eventually.**


	13. Chapter 13

**iSugar: .....Wow. 0_0 I don't think Rima would be that careless. xD A sin does mean something bad, but not necessarily as something so horrible as accidentally killing somebody. It could be just some kind of wrongdoing. Which is what Rima committed, though it really depends on your opinion.**

**Black_kimono_otaku: As awesome as your theory sounds, it is only partially right. Amu's memory loss does have some kind of connection to the Phantom Lord, just not in that way.**

* * *

A few days had passed with Amu as a new student enrolled into Harima High School. She had yet to catch her peers' attention, nor had she been able to befriend the cold and passive Rima Mashiro. The only person that girl would ever respond to was Yaya, which still remained a mystery to Amu. She also failed in finding Utau at school. Though people did talk about her in the hallway, she couldn't find any sign of the twintailed idol. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Utau was a transfer student in some other school.

The thought of school made her groan. It reminded her that she had track tomorrow, and P.E. had never been her strongest subject.

"Hinamori!"

Kukai came over to her, grinning. The gap between her and the ghosts had closed up during the past few days. The ghosts seemed to have forgotten all about it, and went back to greeting her in their usual ways.

"Hey," she said in response. She had miraculously finished her homework on time, so all that was left was to prepare for track tomorrow.

He tilted his head at her when he noticed how silent she was, "Something wrong?"

"Nothing….I just have track tomorrow, that's all," she told him.

"Then you have nothing to worry about!" He gave her a thumbs up, "You may not know it, but I'm the most athletic out of all of the Paranormal Attendants!"

"Really?" Amu asked Kairi and Tadase, whom have just happened to overhear their conversation.

They both exchanged glances.

"Well….." started Kairi.

"…You really don't want to know," Tadase finished.

Kukai went away for a moment and returned with a rope that was a yard long. He started to tie it around Amu's waist. He was so close that she could almost feel his breath. Her cheeks reddened from the proximity between them. She couldn't help but stare down at the muscular biceps that tied the rope around her waist. After he was finished with tying it around his own waist, he held up the rope with his hands.

"Ready, Hinamori?"

"For what?"

Without warning, Kukai ran forward, nearly making Amu trip over her feet. She held onto the rope desperately for support. She could barely keep up with him. He was running way too fast.

"Kukai! S-Stop!" Her lungs were begging for a chance to stop and breath.

He skidded to a stop, almost sending Amu flying off her feet. He yanked the rope back, catching her just in time. She grasped her knees as she panted.

"Don't….ever…do…that….again," she said between her gasps for air.

"But you have to train for track, right?" he said, "This is only the first step in your training to the top!"

She looked at him in shock, "You mean there's more?!"

"Stop it, Kukai. If she says she wants rest, then listen to her."

Nagihiko was standing right before them, staring at Kukai sternly.

Kukai playfully punched him on the shoulder, "Oh, come on, Nagihiko. You know only constant hard work would get you to reach the peak of your abilities."

A strange emotion flashed in Nagihiko's amber eyes but he said nothing. "And what about you? I'm not so sure whether this _is _the peak of your abilities," he said, swiftly covering it up. The edges of his lips formed a teasing smile.

A competitive fire blazed in Kukai's earthly green eyes, "You dare challenge your sempai? I shall have you know, the sempai always win, because he is the one that taught his kohai."

Nagihiko threw off his black jacket and tossed it onto the ground. He pulled back his sleeves, revealing slightly developed biceps, "A lesson for you, Kukai. There always come a time where the kohai finally reaches his sempai's expectations, to the point where he even surpasses him."

Kukai threw off his own jacket, "Fine. We'll have a simple arm wrestling match, one round only. I'm warning you though; my arm can throw you across the lawn." Smirking, the two went over to a wooden table to have the battle that would prove who was indeed the strongest.

"They're having a wrestling match?!" Amu said out loud in disbelief. She didn't get how this would be able to settle things. Weren't they talking about track a few minutes ago?

Kairi sniffed, "I honestly don't get why this is such a common thing. It was already established from the beginning who will be the winner ever since they started doing this."

"Who do you think is going to win, Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked her, curious.

"Uh….." Strange. She felt like she was asked this question before. She recalled being on the sidelines, watching some kind of match. Someone next to her asked her this question. She then remembered answering it confidently, almost in a matter like she believed in that person very deeply.

"WHAM!"

Apparently, Nagihiko had pulled over Kukai's hand to the side so hard, that the table supporting both of their arms lost its legs. The tabletop fell to the ground, with Kukai joining it. Nagihiko stared down at the mess he created, taken back by his own strength.

"Ow," Kukai muttered, his voice muffled by the ground.

Kairi sighed, "I'll go get the super glue."

* * *

"Hurry up, Hinamori!" yelled the teacher, "You're falling behind!"

Amu grunted and she sped up, catching up with the kid in front of her. All of her pink hair was tied up in a ponytail and beads of sweat slid down her forehead. Harsh rays of sunlight glared down at her back. She really hated P.E. The temperature did not help with her already poor athletic ability.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed some boys crowding around the gym storage shed at the other side of the field. Something bad seemed to have happened. Her gym teacher noticed this too, and blew hard on his whistle.

"Stop!" he roared, "That's enough for today." Everyone stopped, dropping themselves on the ground, glad to have a chance for air. He went over to the other side of the field, talking to the other gym teacher.

The field was shared by two classes each period. Sometimes, the two classes would pit against each other in some kind of sport competition their teachers would set up. Amu's class was sharing the field with Rima's. Because her teacher did not allow them to chat with the other class, she was unable to say anything to her.

Rima's gym teacher was pointing at something, and he looked furious. The girls of the other class started crowding around too, talking to each other in loud whispers. Amu squinted under the glare of the sun, trying to pick out what they were looking at. There was some kind of ball at their feet. But there was something wrong with it. It was the shade of a very heavy black, almost the same shade as the burnt corners of Rima's gag manga….

Without thinking, Amu ran over. "Mashiro-san!" she called out.

The short blonde teenager looked up at the sound of her name. Her butterscotch curls were tied up in a ponytail, and even in P.E., she still clutched the same gag manga book to her chest. Several of her fanboys scowled when they heard her call out her name. They never seemed to like it when she acted all comfortable with her. One time, one of them even told Amu that she wasn't "worthy" of being acquainted with their "queen". He received such a withering look from Rima that it was enough to make the other fanboys "exile" him from being able to serve their "queen" ever again.

"What happened?" she asked Rima. She pointed her head in the direction of the scattered balls. They were all soccer balls, but badly burnt to the point where they just looked like giant lumps of coal. Amu wrinkled her nose at the revolting smell coming off of them.

"Who could've done this?!" raged Rima's gym teacher, "And do you know what's the most puzzling thing? Only the soccer balls were damaged, the rest of the storage shed was left intact."

"Someone obviously decided to pull a prank on our school's soccer team," snorted Amu's gym teacher.

"That's not the only thing, sensei," said one of Rima's classmates, "The net used for the soccer team was also taken out."

Amu's gym teacher sighed, "You know what? Just forget this happened. This was just a prank, nothing more. Forget about all of the fishy details in this incident." He then noticed Rima, his gaze directed at her book, "Mashiro! How many times do you have to bring that book to class?! Not to mention that you never participate in any of the activities!"

Her gym teacher shook his head, "Forget it, Daiki. I've told her many times before, but she never listens."

All of her fanboys started gathering around her, "Mashiro-san can do whatever she wants!"

"She doesn't need to listen to you!"

As the boys continued to defend Rima, a vein bulged on Daiki's, the gym teacher's, forehead. This was actually quite common. Whenever Rima was not listening to the rules or was disrupting the class, her fanboys would always come to her rescue, even if she didn't say so. The teacher would then focus his or her attention on her fanboys, buying Rima time to sneak away or let the argument continue until it was only between the teacher and them. They were her bodyguards alright, bodyguards that she used to act as bait against people who defied her.

"This is so boring," said Rima, rolling her eyes. She randomly picked a boy amongst the group, "You. Go get me some water. I'm thirsty." Nodding his head frantically, he dashed off to get out a water bottle from his bag. Amu quickly realized what he intended to do.

Rima sighed in exasperation, "I don't want _your _water, you idiot. I want a newly, _bought _water bottle to drink from." Poor guy was probably never going to get an indirect kiss from his "queen" in his lifetime. Gulping nervously, he left the field to go buy some water. He was definitely going to get a scolding by the other fanboys for not following her orders correctly, even though it was plainly obvious all of them wanted to have at least one indirect kiss from her. She put on a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and sat down in a beach chair that magically appeared out of nowhere.

"What a bitch," muttered one of the girls in her class. The other girls giggled rather nastily in agreement.

Rima lowered her head, and because of the sunglasses, Amu couldn't see the expression on her face when she said that.

* * *

**This chapter has a lot less suspense compared to the previous chapters. I feel like this chapter was a lot more lighthearted, with only a few plot-related hints thrown in. And I really need to stop making things so melodramatic whenever Rima comes into the picture. Her relationship with Amu isn't really progressing like I hoped it would. **

**By the way, I'm thinking about starting another fanfic project of mine called: "Heartbreaker". It's a oneshot collection, and it's for perfecting my writing skills so I can write the drama, fluff, and angst scenes that will come later in this story. Only downside is that updates for "Paranormal Attendants" would probably become slower, which I don't really mind as long as I don't get writer's block. **

**Constructive criticism and suggestions are appreciated.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I swear, sometimes I forget that the ghosts are ghosts and accidentally end up making them do human things. -_-**

**

* * *

**

"Wow, Amu-chi! You look great!" squealed Yaya when she saw her.

Amu had decided to add a little something to her otherwise rather plain school uniform. She wore a black choker around her neck and several badges were pinned to the collar of her white shirt. A spiky black ring with a cat's head on it was worn on her ring finger.

She shrugged, "I don't think it's something that surprising. I only added a little something and almost everyone thinks it's cool." All of her peers had talked to her when they noticed the little accessories she added. They kept talking about how cool she looked, much to her embarrassment.

"Hey, hey, Rima-tan!" Yaya called out to the passing teenager, "Don't you think Amu-chi looks cool?"

Rima stared directly at Amu and surveyed her outfit. Her intense stare made her feel very self-conscious.

"…..It's good," she admitted after a long silence. Amu let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Do you have any more chocolates for me, Rima-tan?" Yaya asked her. While Rima said something in response, Amu took out her bento box and opened it. Instead of the usual rolled-up omelet, pickled plum, rice, and broiled salmon she received for lunch from Nagihiko, there was badly made tempura shrimp, burnt rice, and soggy pickled vegetables.

Then it occurred to her. Nagihiko had woken up late this morning, leaving Tsukasa to cook her lunch.

Yaya noticed the poor display of her lunch as well, "What happened? You usually have something good in there."

"The usual person who cooks my lunch didn't get to do it today," Amu replied. She sighed heavily, "And I was looking forward to it, too. Why did he have to wake up late today?"

"_He_?" both Yaya and Rima echoed, exchanging glances. Amu swiftly clasped her hands over her mouth. She didn't mean to say that! Great, how was she going to get out of this one?

Yaya looked from the ring on Amu's finger to the bento box. Then her caramel eyes lit up in realization.

"Amu-chi! Do you have some secret husband that Yaya doesn't know about?!" she demanded, dramatically pointing a finger at her.

"No, I don't!" she denied, blushing, "Besides, this is just a prize ring from some kind of arcade game! Not those diamond rings you use for proposal!" Amu froze. How did she know that? Before, she couldn't remember where she got the ring, but now she just said that it was a prize from an arcade game.

"_Here," said a nonchalant voice. Then he teased, "A prize for your poor hand coordination."_

Yaya giggled, snapping her back to reality, "Yaya was just teasing you, Amu-chi. If someone proposed to you, the whole town would be in an uproar. If you don't want to eat lunch, Yaya can take you to the cafeteria. They usually have decent stuff there." She turned to Rima-tan, "Wanna come, Rima-tan?"

Before she could protest, she grabbed both of their hands and dashed off. Rima had trouble holding onto Yaya's hand and her book at the same time. Many students stopped to stare at them when they ran past. Amu saw some of Rima's fanboys as well. One of them even randomly confessed, shouting to Rima, "I love you, my Queen!" This made the said "queen" roll her eyes in response.

Yaya skidded to a stop when they finally reached the cafeteria. Rima neatly caught her gag manga just in time, right before it fell to the ground. She whipped around to look at Yaya, a scowl on her face.

"Watch it, Yaya," she scowled, "You nearly made me drop it." Her grip on the book was noticeably very tight. This was the first time Amu saw Rima got overprotective over such a thing.

Yaya rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Sorry, Rima-tan."

Amu scanned the inside of the cafeteria. A lot of students were here, all in their own individual groups on the tables. They chatted to each other over their lunch, laughing. One table alone in the corner caught her eye. It was empty. No one even dared to approach it. Only one girl sat on that table. Her blonde hair was up in twintails and she rested her chin on her fist, a bored gesture.

"Yaya….Is that Utau Hoshina?" she asked, pointing to the idol.

She nodded her head, confirming it, "Yep! She's not very social though, which is why people avoid her." She gestured to the place where the food was served, "You can go and get lunch over there."

Thanking her, Amu took the chance to greet the idol. When she saw her, Utau nodded her head in acknowledgment. But when her gaze moved from her to Rima, her facial expression changed. Irritation blazed in her violet eyes and a small annoyed groan escaped her lips. Rima fixed the iciest glare she could give at her.

"_You_," Utau snarled. Amu could swear the tension in the room was now multiplied by a thousand.

"Yaya," she whispered, "What's going on?"

"Yaya doesn't know," she whispered back, "They're always like this."

"How's your search coming along?" Utau asked Rima, sarcasm dripping from her voice, "I doubt you even recovered any of your memories, or will even admit to the sin you committed years ago."

"At least it's better than going after demons just because _someone_ can't get over the death of someone close to them," she retorted.

Amu looked between the two of them, confused. Sin? Demons? What?

"At least that person close to me didn't die _heartbroken_," Utau said through gritted teeth. Her words struck something in Rima, briefly causing her glare change to a look of shock.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Her voice shook as she spoke. Her gaze was casted down at her feet. She swiftly recovered, "At least I didn't quit my career just because of some boy."

Her violet eyes flashed dangerously, "At least I didn't try to resurrect him back from the dead."

If it weren't for the book, Rima would've slammed her hands down on the table. "I told you. I don't know what you are talking about," she said icily, "Are you suggesting you wouldn't have done the same thing? If you want to see him so badly, then why don't you try to resurrect him then?"

"Bullshit. I just want to _see_ him again. I'm not desperate enough to try to bring him back from the dead."

The two glared at each other in silence, breathing heavily from letting out their anger and frustration off of their chests. Amu and Yaya were caught between them, unsure of what to do. Amu had always admired Utau, but she had never seen the idol so mad before.

Letting out a small "hmph", they both turned around and walked away.

"Hoshina-san!"

"Rima-tan!"

Neither girl turned at the sound of their names.

* * *

After the eventful lunch period and the rest of the school day, Amu went out for a little shopping and was now just returning home. She was surprised to hear loud barks and someone crying out: "Back off, will you? This isn't your territory. Leave."

There was a dog at the front gate of the house. It seemed to be of the Shiba Inu species, a popular dog breed in Japan. The dog's fur was a splendid shade of a light cream-like color. It placed its paws on the gate and barked at someone behind it. Amu came closer to see that it was Ikuto, who looked very, very pissed. She noticed a strange puddle beneath his feet.

"…..Do I want to know what happened?"

He pointed an accusing finger at the dog, "I was taking a nap and this dog decided to take a whizz on my face." A mental image of a sleeping Ikuto and the dog lifting its leg to do its business crossed her mind. She did her best to stifle a giggle from escaping her lips. But the giggles quickly developed into fits of laughter.

"I can't believe it actually did that to you!" Amu guffawed. She held her sides, hurt from laughing too much.

"It's not funny," he said, annoyed.

"Oh just be glad that you are a ghost, not a normal human being. Besides, it's your own fault for sleeping outside. Can't you just take a random bedroom?"

"Kukai was sleeping in the regular place I sleep," he explained, "So I couldn't go there."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh fine. You can sleep on my bed then." She didn't even realized it when those words slipped right out of her mouth.

He smirked, "Okay. I'll consider it."

"Wait! I take that back! What I meant was-"

He then placed a hand under his chin, deep in thought, "There's just one problem."

She instantly stopped spazzing, "Eh?"

"I'm a transparent being so…..we can't exactly do _it_."

Amu's face was a bright shade of red, "You-we-what?!"

"Haven't you learned about this in health class? You know, the 'birds and the bees' talk?"

"Why you little-"

Before she could run forward to grab hold of him, Ikuto vanished into thin air, obviously off to invade her bedroom. She noticed Tadase running towards her.

"Where's Nii-san?" he asked, briefly glancing at the dog.

"He left," she answered rather bitterly. She looked at the dog, "What are we going to do with him?"

Tadase kneeled down, extending his hand to the dog. "It's okay," he said softly, cooing, "No one is going to hurt you." The dog whined and sniffed his hand warily. It barked happily. Tadase opened the gate, letting the dog and Amu in. The dog ran around in circles around him, wagging its tail.

"Dogs can see ghosts?" Amu asked him.

"Apparently. I think it's because of how they don't care about the difference between a supernatural being and a human." He saw the dog looking up at Amu eagerly, waiting for her to pat its head, "I think it likes you."

"Really? H-Hey! There's nothing in that bag for you!" She quickly moved her shopping bag out of its reach. Startled, the dog ducked through her legs, causing her to trip.

"Hinamori-san!" Tadase swiftly moved right in front of her, trying to catch her.

For a minute, time seemed to slow. Amu's gaze was caught in Tadase's stare. She noticed details that she hadn't taken note of before. How beautiful his sunny blonde hair was….the shine of his ruby red eyes….the cute features of his face….his slender frame that she desperately wanted to lean into….

A horrible feeling surged through her body. It was then she realized that she had fallen right through him. Her face met the pavement, amplifying the pain across her body.

"Hinamori-san, are you okay?" Tadase asked, his face filled with concern.

"I'm okay…." She couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling of disappointment though…

"Arf!" The dog's tongue rolled out of its mouth, almost as if it was laughing.

* * *

**Does anyone think that the dog is a matchmaker? xD And before anyone asks, yes, this dog will become a permanent residence of the Hinamori mansion. I need a good name though. Anyone have any ideas? Remember, it has to be Japanese or Japanese-sounding!**


	15. Chapter 15

Amu frowned, holding the white dress to her body, studying herself in the mirror. She had gone shopping for some clothes and came across this white dress that looked interesting. But now, she was starting to have second thoughts.

"Hey, Nagihiko," she addressed the long-haired boy, "What do you think?"

He tilted his head, studying her with a critical stare. Suddenly, he got up and snatched the dress away from her. "Amu-chan, do you know what happens if you wear a white dress before you get married?" he asked her seriously.

"Umm……No?"

Nagihiko facepalmed, "They say that if you wear a white dress before you get married, you will marry late."

"Seriously?" Come to think of it, she recalled one of her friends mentioning something like this. But like how she regarded all paranormal things, she decided to shrug off that superstition. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to keep that white dress anyway.

Then, her mind drifted off to the bathtub incident with Ikuto.

"_Actually….I can't marry anyway all because of him!" _she thought bitterly, sulking in the corner in fetal position. Nagihiko sweatdropped when he saw her do this. Something occurred to her. Nagihiko is a guy. So....why did he knew about this superstition that sounded like an old wives' tale?

"Wait a minute, how come you know about all of this?" she questioned him, "Isn't it suppose to be a girl thing?" He froze, speechless. He tried to say something, but all of his words were caught in his throat. His amber eyes read alarm, nervousness, and confusion.

"I-I….." he stuttered. He brought his hand to his forehead. "Why do I know about it?" he asked himself out loud.

"Maybe you heard about it from someone," Amu suggested.

"Maybe…." Nagihiko muttered. He didn't seem so sure though.

* * *

Groaning, Amu turned over to her side. She couldn't sleep. She had been tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position where she could eventually fall asleep. She was relieved to see that Ikuto did not actually take her words seriously and slept in her bedroom. Or maybe, he only intended to have a short nap there and left.

Getting up, she walked out of the room. Maybe having some fresh air would help. She could hear distant voices from downstairs. It sounded like arguing. Amu hurried down the steps to see what all of the fuss was about.

In the lounge, she saw Tadase and Kukai sitting opposite of each other. Kairi and Naghiko seemed to be caught between the two of them, undecided about which side they should take. Ami was in the corner of the room, scratching the dog they found behind the ears fondly.

"I'm telling you," Kukai said to Tadase, "We should name it after someone famous. It's easier that way. Like after a famous sports star." His earthly green eyes gleamed with excitement and looked completely ecstatic about the idea.

Tadase shook his head, "No. If it's going to be our pet, we should pick a much cuter name."

Kairi fixed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I actually agree with Kukai-sempai here. There's nothing wrong with naming something after a famous person you look up to."

Kukai grinned and ruffled Kairi's hair, much to his displeasure, "See? Kairi agrees with me. If we're going to name the dog, we should name it…..Mutsuhiko! Doesn't it sound awesome?"

Nagihiko frowned, "That's a bit wordy, isn't it? A pet name should be short and sweet."

Kukai stared at him, aghast, "You're not going against your own sempai, are you?!"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not going against anybody. I was merely stating my own opinion." He noticed Amu staring at them and held up his hands in a shrug. She giggled in response and solemnly nodded her head in agreement.

"How about Hojo?" Kairi suggested, "It's the name of a famous samurai."

"No," Tadase disagreed, "It should be something cuter. Like….Kin. How does that sound?"

Kukai shook his head furiously, "No, no, no. He should be called…Hideo! See? How's that for short and sweet?"

Unable to take their arguing anymore, Nagihiko got up and slammed his hands down on the table separating the three. They all jumped, startled by his sudden outburst. "Listen. I have a better suggestion. How about 'Akki'? It fits the dog's mischievous nature." They all looked at the dog, who was now trying to chew Kairi's shoes.

A stress mark appeared on Kairi's forehead, "Get this dog off of me." Akki, the dog, whined, and tried to win him over by staring at him with his big, brown eyes.

Both Kukai and Tadase agreed with his suggestion. "I like it!" Kukai said, grinning, "A name that means 'evil spirit'."

"It's cute too," Tadase said as well.

A strange melody suddenly filled the room. It was the sound of a violin playing, coming from outside. It reminded Amu of those musical scores they would play on weddings whenever the bride entered the chapel. Tadase and Nagihiko closed their eyes, savoring the sweet sound of the violin. Kukai tapped his fingers against the side of the couch in the same rhythm as the violin. Akki barked happily, his ears perked up at the melody.

"As always," said Kairi with a satisfied smile, "Ikuto-sempai's skill on the violin never fails to amaze me."

"Wait, Ikuto?" Amu never would have imagined Ikuto was a violin player. He was always lazy, and never seemed to put his heart into anything. But this melody was different. She could hear his heart resounding every time the bow would strike the string chords of the violin. For a moment, she was curious about what he looked like playing the violin.

She quietly followed the sound of the violin, trying to find its source. She walked out the front door, going to the back of the mansion. She carefully stepped over the vines that had yet to be hacked away. She was now in some kind of patio. The crescent moon hung in the dark night sky, glowed dimly, lighting up the dark world around her. It shined down on the lone figure of a teenage boy moving his bow back and forth across the violin rested against his chin.

She could hear the melody a lot more clearly here. It was a melody that should be worth celebrating, but there was something about the expression on his face that bothered her. He certainly looked peaceful, but she could sense some kind of sadness radiating from the sound of the violin.

Ikuto noticed her there, and instantly stopped playing. Sighing, he took out the case for the violin and started to put it back in.

"Ikuto!" She ran over to him. His hand hovered over the cover the case, ready to snap it shut.

"You can play the violin?" she asked him.

"Isn't that obvious?" He was acting different today. Did getting whizzed on by a dog bother him that much? No. That was not it. It was something else. Ikuto closed the case and slung it over his shoulder. "That piece I just played was: 'Here Comes the Bride'."

"I know that."

He let out a small "tch", "I hated that piece. Marriage is supposed to bond two people together and forever. But what's the point if you can easily just file a divorce?"

"Ikuto…..?"

He turned around for her to see the case the violin was contained in, "This violin….was with me when I 'woke up'. I can't really tell what kind of importance it has to me." After a few minutes of silence, he continued, "That wasn't the only thing that was with me when I woke up." From behind his back, he pulled out a black umbrella. Golden words were embroidered on the black fabric of the umbrella. Several musical notes danced around the words. It read: "Aruto Tsukiyomi". There was something about that umbrella that sent a feeling of nostalgia through Amu.

"Play the violin," she suddenly ordered.

Ikuto looked at her, surprised, "Why?"

"Just play it."

Shaking his head, he took off the case and plopped it on the ground. He clicked open the latches, and carried out the violin. He rested it against his chin and positioned the bow above the strings. Then he gently moved the bow back and forth across the strings.

A soft, sad, yet loud melody was instantly produced. Amu closed her eyes, immediately lost amongst the sounds of the various chords being struck. She recalled listening to such a beautiful melody before. It wasn't the same sound though. It was more cheerful, and had a bouncy rhythm to it. Just as she thought that, Ikuto decided to change the music, and played the exact same melody in her memory. The sound of a girl singing, her, filled her head.

"_LA LA LA uta wo utaou_

_Kao age kokoro no mama_

_Utaou_

_Akirame ja ikenai_

_Dekinai koto nande nai_

_Yuuki no uta…."_

"…..Dare ni mo makenai," she sang out loud. He glanced up at the sound of her voice, but he continued playing. "Yume ga aru. Aruki dasou mune hatte. Watashi dake no michi ga aru. Shinjiru no sahon tasha. Dakai yama na jan ashita mo. Ganbatte nori koe yo. Watashi ni nara de kirusa kiseki o koso."

Ikuto stopped playing and started checking his violin.

"….What are you doing?"

"I'm making sure you didn't accidentally break my violin with your horrible singing," he told her.

A vein bulged on Amu's forehead, "Geez! Believe in me a little, why don't you?!"

He chuckled, "I was just kidding, Amu." He then noticed how red her face was, "What is it?"

"You just called me by my first name!" she shouted at him accusingly.

Ikuto cocked an eyebrow, "And that's a big deal because…..?"

"It just is!" she retorted.

"Oh, come on. Just admit that you like that I called you by your first name."

"No, I don't!" she protested, "Can't you just call me 'Hinamori-san' or something like that?"

He made a face, "But that's too formal."

"What's the problem with formal?"

"There just is."

Her golden eyes narrowed into slits, "You're being stubborn."

"Says the person who is always too embarrassed to admit her true feelings," he shot back, with a wide smirk on his face.

"S-Shut up," she huffed, crossing her arms. How is it that he always seemed to know how to make her feel flustered and can always seem to tell what is on her mind?

* * *

**The song Amu sings is "Yuuki no Uta". Look it up on YouTube if you want to listen to the actual version. The dog's name was a suggestion from my sister, since "Akki" means: evil spirit, demon, etc. The dog will probably not show up next chapter, since next chapter is fairly Yaya-centric. That's right, people! Next chapter starts the process of finally exploring the characters' backstories, instead of me just throwing out hints for you to guess at. I won't go into the ghosts' past until I finish going into the side characters' pasts.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I realized I made a mistake in one of my chapters. Amu isn't suppose to address Rima by her first name yet. -_-**

**I have nearly an entire week off! Woohoo! I'll take the time to update frequently as I can.**

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* * *

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Amu was lost. She was in the middle of Harima's shopping district, searching around desperately for something. Many people passed by, not even once stopping to look at her. Rima stood right next to her, wearing a bored and nonchalant expression on her face.

"Hey, Mashiro-san. Are you positive that we're supposed to go this way?" Amu asked her.

Rima looked around, frowning. She pointed to one road, "That way."

"Are you sure?"

Her frown deepened. "….Maybe that way?" she said as if it was a question, pointing to the opposite road. She didn't sound so sure anymore.

"You mean we're lost?!" cried out Amu in despair.

Rima huffed, turning her head the other way. She could catch the faintest blush on her cheeks. "You've been in this town for nearly a week. Shouldn't _you _know your way around by now? Honestly, I don't know why Yaya asked me to babysit you."

"It's not babysitting, Mashiro-san," Amu corrected her, "It's called: _escorting someone out of courtesy_." Rima ignored her however, and decided to pass the time by flipping open her gag manga and reading it.

She sighed. They were supposed to meet Yaya at her ballet class. Eager to see her friend do ballet, Amu asked her if she could come over and see her. Yaya agreed, with the condition that she brought Rima along with her. She said that it was just in case she got lost. Except….they got lost _because _of Rima's bad sense of directions. Then again, even if Yaya made Amu memorize where to go, they probably would've still gotten lost anyway.

She noticed a woman talking into her cellphone about something. She held a baby in her arms, wrapped around heavily with a thick blanket.

"What?! But I'm busy-No? You can't do that?" She pursed her lips together, frowning with worry.

"Excuse me." The woman glanced at Amu, cradling the baby in her arms. "Do you know where this 'Ballet Dancing' place is? We're looking for it."

The woman's eyes widened in realization, "Are you…..all of Yaya' friends?"

"Yeah," Amu nodded, "Do you know her?"

The woman grinned widely, "That's great! You won't mind if you take care of him then? I have an important meeting to attend to."

"Um….well….not really…" She wasn't so sure if she wanted to take care of a baby off of some random person on the street that was somehow acquainted with Yaya.

"Perfect! Here you go!" She placed the baby in Amu's arms and ran off, rapidly talking into her phone some more. Out of the corner of her eye, Amu thought she saw Rima stare after the woman sadly.

"We….didn't get her to tell us where to go…." she said sadly, upon realization. The baby frowned, groaning in his sleep. Then, he opened his mouth and started to wail loudly.

"WAAAHHHH!!!!" A couple of people passing by looked up, wondering who in the world was making that terrible noise.

"Argh!" Amu quickly clasped her hands over her ears, "This baby's crying is worse than Yaya's!" Looking around frantically, she had an idea. "Mashiro-san! Can you hold him for me for just a sec?"

"Don't wanna," she answered bluntly.

"Come on! Please? Take some responsibility for once!" she pleaded with her. Rima made a face, and held up her gag manga for her to see, telling her that the main reason why she didn't want to hold the baby was because that meant she won't be able to hold the book.

Amu rolled her eyes, "Fine. I'll hold the book for you." When she opened her mouth to argue, she swiftly interrupted her, "-And don't worry! I won't drop it, okay?" Rima bit her lip, obviously undecided about what she should do. After a few minutes of thinking, she finally surrendered, handing Amu the book and taking the baby into her arms.

At once, the baby stopped crying. He stared at Rima, curious. She was having trouble supporting the baby's head with her arm, due to her small stature. He reached out and tugged on one of her butterscotch curls, causing a stress mark to appear on Rima's forehead.

"I think he likes you," commented Amu.

"Forget it," she said, furious, "You can have him back." She held out the baby for her to take away.

"No way!" she argued, "If I take him, he's going to cry again!"

"I'm-"The baby made a face, whining in its sleep. The two of them immediately shut up.

"Hm? Himamori-san?"

They saw a man that looked to be in his late 20's staring at them. He was wearing glasses over his friendly ochre eyes and had scruffy orange hair that stuck out in several places.

Amu instantly recognized him, "Nikaidou-sensei?" Nikaidou was her English teacher, and was well known among his students for his rather cheerful and clumsy personality. He had a habit of calling her: "Himamori-san", much to her displeasure.

"It's Hi_na_mori-san, sensei," she corrected him as calmly as she could.

He laughed, "Ah, sorry, sorry, Himamori-san." Amu had to restrain herself from grinding her teeth together in frustration. There was just no point in trying to get anything through this man's thick skull of his to get her name right. He noticed Rima as well and greeted her, "Hello, Mashiro-san." She eyed him warily, but bowed her head in acknowledgment.

"Why are you guys here? Out for shopping?" he asked.

Amu shook her head, "No. We're looking for the place our friend takes ballet classes. Do you know where 'Ballet Dancing' is?"

Nikaidou scratched his head in thought, "Let's see…..I believe it's down the road to your right, and after about three blocks, you should see it just around the corner."

Amu beamed, "Okay! Thanks, Nikaidou-sensei!" The two girls took the road to their right, waving goodbye to the teacher.

"And you better take care of that little boy, you hear?!" he shouted after them, "Yuiki-san won't appreciate it if anything bad happens to him!"

"What is he talking about?"

"This baby is Yaya's little brother," Rima replied, "He's just saying Yaya won't like it if we don't take care of him right."

"Eh? So this is her little brother…." Amu leaned over, and brought her finger near his tiny little hand. He grasped it gently, examining it, "Awww! How cute!" Then she realized something, "Wait a minute, why can't her mother take care of him?"

A shadow passed over Rima's face; however, it quickly went away just as soon as it came. "Her parents are business people, so they always stay until late at work. Ever since her little brother was born, she always had to watch over him for her parents." Amu could catch a faint glint of annoyance in her honey-colored eyes, "She doesn't get it. She thinks having a smaller sibling to take care of is a burden. She doesn't understand…that it's no fun being the only child."

It occurred to Amu why Yaya had always acted so immature. It was because she didn't want to take responsibility of her brother, and wanted to do whatever she wanted. She smiled sadly. She could understand that feeling. She sometimes found taking care of Ami a burden. But Ami always looked up to her, and admired her. Which is why she couldn't just abandon or neglect her little sister.

A rare, small smile appeared on Rima's face, "Even so…..I think I can understand her feelings." Amu was taken back. She never saw Rima smile. Actually, she did, but it was never in her presence. She smiled as well, happy to see that she was opening up; even if it was just a little.

Rima noticed this, "Why are you smiling? I don't see anything funny."

"So? Just because I'm smiling doesn't mean there's anything funny," the pinkette pointed out.

The small blonde pouted, crossing her arms, "That doesn't make sense. Are you hiding something?"

"I'm not hiding anything, Mashiro-san."

"Oh, I get it. You were thinking something dirty."

"Why would I be thinking something dirty?"

"Are you lesbian or are you bisexual?"

"What?! I'm perfectly straight!"

"You can at least admit that you're dirty-minded in some way."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that you need to stop staring at things like a hopeless idiot." Amu opened her mouth to argue, but then she hung her head, depressed. She couldn't really argue against that. Ami would often point out whenever she was checking out the ghosts longer than necessary. Was she really that perverted?

"We're here," Rima announced. A small building stood before them, its logo in giant, bright, pink letters. Huge window glass panels let them looked into the inside. Amu could see a bunch of girls dressed in leotards and ballet shoes, listening intently to a rather wrinkly old lady. She caught sight of a teenage brunette amongst the girls, the small ponytails on her head bobbing as she nodded enthusiastically at something her teacher said. When the lady finished talking, she signaled that class was over with a grand gesture of her hand. All of the girls jumped to their feet, going to the back to change. Seeing this, Amu opened the door and went in.

"If you're here to see any of my students, they're in the locker room in the back," Yaya's teacher told them. Thanking her, Amu went inside the locker room and Yaya greeted her immediately when she saw her.

"Hey, Amu-chi! You're late!" She pouted, and looked like she was about to flail her arms around in frustration.

"Sorry," Amu apologized, "We….kinda got lost."

"It's okay! Yaya has to stay behind to practice anyway." She noticed that Rima was strangely hiding back in the shadows, keeping a distance from them, "Rima-tan! Don't be shy! Come over here!" Rima slowly stepped out, revealing the heavily wrapped child in her arms. The smile on Yaya's face instantly vanished, "…Tsubasa-kun?"

Amu looked between the two, concerned, "Yaya…? Is…something wrong?" The other girls around them noticed the baby held in Rima's arms, and immediately started to chat to each other excitedly.

"Hey, hey. Isn't that Yuiki-san's brother?"

"He's so cute!"

"Yuiki-san's so lucky. I wish I had a little brother."

"Oh, believe me. You wouldn't want one. Little brothers can be quite a handful."

"She's right!" Yaya shouted suddenly. At once, the talking in the room ceased. "You wouldn't want one. They're annoying, they cry too much, they always steal the attention of your parents, and you have to be a role model for them." Her hands were clenched into tight fists.

"Yaya-"Rima glared at her sharply, clearly telling Amu that she should back off and leave her alone.

"I HATE IT!" she screamed, yelling at no one in particular, "Yaya didn't asked for any of this! Yaya wishes she was the only child! He's not my brother! Yaya wishes he was never born!"

"Shut up."

They all turned to look at the source of the voice, who was staring at Yaya with unreadable honey-colored eyes.

"Shut up," she said again, her eyes hard and cold, "Are you an idiot? Stop lying to yourself. You don't mean any of it. I don't care what kind of life-threatening medical condition your brother has; it doesn't give you any excuse for you to say you wish he was never born." Yaya's shoulders sagged, her caramel bangs covering her face. The expression on Rima's face momentarily softened, but she didn't say anything else. She turned around and walked away. Amu swiftly caught up with her, confused about what had taken place, her mind swarming with questions.

"Mashiro-san?"

She stopped, "Hinamori."

"Y-Yes?"

Rima turned to face her, "My arms are tired."

* * *

**I estimate that Yaya's backstory will probably take only a few chapters. Or I could be wrong. The next few chapters mostly consist of Amu searching to find out what is going on with Yaya's family life. When I'm done with covering her, I'll probably go back to the ghosts, because Amu still doesn't fully trust them yet.**


	17. Chapter 17

The next day, Yaya did not met up with Amu at lunchtime. She couldn't blame her. After that kind of outburst and scene, she needed some time alone. But she wished Yaya would talk to her so some of her questions could be answered. She tried asking Rima about it, but she refused to say anymore on the subject. She said that she wasn't in the mood to talk, and if she wanted to ask anyone about Yaya, she should go see Nikaidou.

Like most of the adults in the town, Nikaidou strangely had a lot of knowledge when it came to the frequent supernatural happenings and any of the strange, popular people well-known around town. He was more on the side of having more information on the town's residents, when comparing his knowledge of the paranormal to Nobuko Saeki's.

Amu walked into the main office, spotting him by his own individual desk in the corner. He was reading a newspaper, his feet placed up on the table before him. She tilted her head to get a better look of the front page, reading the headlines. It read: "Two Katanas of Musashi Miyamoto Stolen". Strange. Unlike any of the other major things that happened in this town, this was probably the most normal case she had ever heard.

"Ah, hi, Himamori-san," the teacher greeted her cheerfully, causing a stress mark to appear on Amu's head, "Are you here to see me about something?"

"Yes," she replied in a rather stressed calm tone, "I'm here to ask about Yaya Yuiki. She's a friend of mine. Mashiro-san told me that you happen to have a lot of knowledge on the town's residents."

Nikaidou placed his newspaper down, setting his feet back on the floor, "Yuiki-san, right? Let's see…." He turned his chair around to face her, "I believe you are aware of how busy Yuiki-san's parents are, right? They work in some company back in the city. The hours there tend to be very long."

"Wait, the city?" Was it possible that Yaya could've come from the city like her? "Did she always lived in Harima, or did she live somewhere else?"

"Well yes," he answered, "Along with Mashiro-san, she moved from the city to here. It wasn't at the same year you transferred here though. I'm guessing when Yuiki-san's brother was born, they decided that the environment in the city wasn't for him, and moved to Harima." A thoughtful look crossed his face, "Don't know if I can say the same for Mashiro-san though."

"Really? How come?" she pressed.

He waved off the question as if it wasn't important, "Unfortunately, their second child was born with a mysterious medical condition. At first, it didn't show up that frequently. However, after a few months, the baby came down with a serious fever, and the doctors estimated he might not make it past his first birthday." That explained Yaya's outburst. She avoided her brother for she knew about his incoming death. However, that still didn't explain why Yaya acted so immature. Was it only a front she put up so no one would suspect anything?

"Thanks, sensei. I heard everything I need to know."

Nikaidou stopped her, "Wait." He took the newspaper on his desk and handed it to her, "Here. I noticed you staring at it earlier. If you're so interested, you can have it. I don't mind."

"Uh…..Thanks?"

"Now, can I ask you a question, Himamori-san?" he asked her. When she nodded her head slowly, he said, "If you know someone is going to die, what would you do?"

"Um…." For a brief moment, pictures flashed through her mind. Spots of blood dotted the ground beneath her feet. A rotting and revolting scent filled her nostrils. A glimpse of someone's limp body was before her. Her hands instinctively were brought up to her arms. What was that just now?

"…..I'm sorry. I have to go." Amu took the newspaper from him and went out the door.

"Come see me anytime!" Nikaidou called after her. She didn't stop to look back. Now the next person she had to see was Nobuko Saeki.

* * *

"Yesterday, the two katanas of the famed Musashi Miyamoto, a well-known Japanese samurai, was to be imported to become a exhibit in the Harima Archaeological Materials Musuem," Amu read out loud as she walked down the street, "They were kept in a tightly locked room in the museum that night. However, around 11:30 PM, the katanas were gone and presumably stolen. The strangest thing was that none of the guards were knocked out or injured like any ordinary crime scene. It was only until one of them turned around that they saw that the katanas were gone. The place was inspected for any sign of someone breaking in, but all of the latches and windows were tightly shut and locked from the outside." She stopped reading. This reminded her of the murder incident she read about a few days ago. Like the murder, this crime scene seemed to give you two choices: either believe that it was any normal thing done by a human, or that it was something that could only be done by a supernatural being.

She sighed. More detective work. What was with this town and its mysterious habitants? She arrived at Nobuko's shop, and swung open the door, the wind chime tinkling to signal her arrival. The lady was at her table, staring hard into a crystal ball before her.

"Excuse me?"

Nobuko looked up at the sound of her voice, "Oh! It's you! I'm suspecting that your visits are going to become regular, just like that Mashiro girl."

Amu took a seat before her, placing her briefcase and the newspaper beside her feet, "I want to ask you something."

She moved her crystal ball to the side, "A lot of people ask me things that I find it tiring. But sure, ask away."

"Can you tell me anything about Yaya Yuiki?"

Nobuko frowned. "Yuiki….Yuiki…..Why does that name sound so familiar?" she asked herself out loud. She massaged her temples, as if it would help her remember. Suddenly, she held up her finger and exclaimed, "Aha! I remember! It's that girl that Mashiro girl mentioned!"

"Do you know anything about her?" Amu urged.

"Well I do…." she answered vaguely, "…It's just it's something I don't think you would find pleasant. If you know, that Yuiki girl's brother has a serious medical condition and he may not live. But there's a rumor going around that he might. See, a lot of people, especially those who believe in the occult, say that if he did have a serious medical condition, he should have died instantly at birth. So why was he still alive? They say it's because his sister made a deal with the devil."

Amu blinked, "The devil?"

Nobuko shrugged, "I have no clue who the devil might be. But what I do know is that it can only be proven true if that child survives when he reaches his first birthday." That wasn't a very good option. There had to be some other way. But the only other solution was to ask Yaya herself….

* * *

Amu was now back in the Hinamori mansion, in her bedroom on the computer. She placed her pink laptop on her lap, searching online for any kind of information that could be found on the Yuiki family. Unfortunately, there was barely any news article on the Yuiki family at all. They were only briefly mentioned in an article that gave details about the company Yaya's parents worked in. Sighing, she was about to close the window until she noticed a couple of news articles that caught her eye. Kazuomi Hoshina Becomes Head of Easter, Incidents Relating to the Mashiro Family, and A Controversial Murder At Higashi Academy. Without a second thought, she printed the articles out, the printer in her room making a loud "whir" as it produced three sheets of paper. She would check them out later.

Someone knocked loudly on the door, "Hinamori-san. Can I come in?"

"Sure." The door swung open to reveal Tsukasa holding a tray with two teacups on top.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No thanks." Then something came to her, "Tsukasa-san, do you know what hospital Tsubasa Yuiki was born at?"

He smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I don't. I don't interact with the people of this town very much."

"Oh…." she said, disappointed. Now who could she go to? She had no other options to get more information. "I guess I can ask Mashiro-san again if she listens to me….." she muttered out loud.

Tsukasa frowned, "Mashiro-san? You know her?" He was acting strange. He looked a little….nervous?

"Well, yeah. Are you sure you don't know?"

"If you really want to know, you can go ask Kairi for help," he suggested, quickly recovering from his shock, "He has this strange ability when it comes to gathering a lot of information on people."

"Okay. I'll go see him." She put down her laptop and hurried out of the room.

Tsukasa sighed, "At this rate, Nagihiko-kun is going to recover his memories a lot faster than I want him to…."

* * *

"Kairi!"

The green-haired boy looked up at the sound of his name, "Do you need me for something, Ojou-sama?"

"Yes! I need you to give me the name of the hospital Tsubasa Yuiki was born in!" Amu put her hands together, her voice pleading, "Please, Kairi!"

"Umm…." He blushed furiously. She was unaware of how she was leaning into his face, her lips inches away from his. Desperate to get some space, he quickly said, "O-Okay! I'll do it!"

"Thanks, Kairi!" She was relieved. Now there was nothing to worry about. He instantly vanished into thin air, his face still as red as a tomato.

* * *

After a couple of minutes had passed, Amu was bored, playing chess with Ami. The other ghosts were in the room as well, either fidgeting, napping, staring into space, or dusting something. Akki was chasing a rubber ball across the room.

"Checkmate!" Ami exclaimed, "I win!" Her rook piece was in line of Amu's king piece.

"Argh!" Amu yelled, nearly tearing out her hair in frustration, "What's taking Kairi so long?!"

"Give him some time, Hinamori-san," Tadase told her gently, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Plus, Kairi always gets extremely accurate information," Kukai added, "Right, Nagihiko? Do you remember the time Tsukasa was looking for someone and he got lost?"

"Yeah," he replied, "He asked Kairi for help, and after about half an hour, he came back with the person's home number and address. I don't know how he does it."

"Sounds more like he stalked that person, if you ask me," Ikuto said sleepily. Just as he said that, Kairi materialized in the corner of the room, causing Akki to yelp in fright. He was panting heavily, as if he was running away hard from something.

"He was born in the Akashi Hospital," Kairi told Amu in a rush, "It's quite far from Harima though. If you want to go there that badly, I suggest you ask Amakawa-san for a drive."

* * *

Tsukasa parked his blue van right in front of the hospital. Amu had to beg him in order to make him agree to escort her there. Nightfall was approaching, the sky now painted with hues of purple, orange, and pink. They got out of the car and went inside the large white building.

The waiting room was full of people and nurses hurried from place to place. Amu took a seat near the front desk.

"Excuse me," Tsukasa said to the nurse at the desk, "I'm here to see Dr. Chikafusa."

"Do you have an appointment with him?" she asked him.

"Not really. I just want to sit down and have a nice chat with him."

She bowed her head, "I'm sorry. He has an appointment with someone else right now. He should be done after a few minutes though. You can wait for him until he's done."

"Alright. Thank you." Tsukasa took a seat next to Amu. Amu surveyed the room with curiosity. Rows of green chairs were arranged neatly in the room and the nurses and the doctors briefly talked to each other about something too complicated for her to understand.

"Sir," the nurse at the front desk addressed Tsukasa, "Dr. Chikafusa just finished his appointment. You might want to talk to him as soon as you can."

"Thank you." Tsukasa motioned to Amu, "Hurry up, Hinamori-san. We don't want to take up the other patients' time." She followed him as swiftly as she could, being lead by the nurse to a room down a long hallway. Several doctors passed by them, muttering to themselves about something urgent. Nurses passed by them writing something down on a clipboard. Some of them would push a stretcher in, a person's unconscious body placed on top of it.

"Dr. Chikafusa, these people are here to see you," the nurse said to the doctor when they came in. The sight of the back of a black revolving chair greeted them. The chair turned around to reveal the face of a middle-aged man with gray flecks in his short hair. His mustache was the same color as his hair and he wore a long white coat around himself.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Tsukasa nudged Amu with his hand, telling her that since she was the one who wanted to come here, she should speak.

"Uh….I wanted to ask you…." Amu started reluctantly, "Are you the family doctor for Yuiki family?"

"Well, not necessarily," he answered, "But I was there when a family member of theirs gave birth to a little boy."

"Can you tell me what his condition was when he was born?"

The doctor frowned, putting his hands together against his chin, "From what I remember, no heartbeat came from the child. At first, I was afraid that my patient gave birth to a stillborn. However, I detected a faint, sudden heartbeat. Gradually, the child's heartbeat became more regular and he was able to take in his first breath of air. It was a miracle, I tell you."

"_A miracle…" _Now the possibility of the "making a deal with the devil" theory was becoming true. But like Nobuko said, they can't really know until he reached the day of his first birthday, an option which Amu wasn't really fond of.

* * *

**Phew, was this chapter long. =_= Next chapter will consist of Amu trying to gather even more info about the Yuiki family. I don't know if Amu will confront Yaya directly about this just yet. I might hold it off until later. It depends on how long it turns out.**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter turned out more action-orientated compared to the other chapters I've written. ._.() It got a little sidetracked.**

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**The large red brick building towered over Amu as she stood in the middle of the parking lot. This was Harima Hospital. The very same place where she was going to meet up with the family doctor of the Yuiki family in Harima. She gulped nervously. It was already night time when she and Tsukasa had come back from the Akashi Hospital. He had insisted on that he would escort her there, but she said that she could manage herself.

Taking a deep breath, she went inside. It wasn't like the city, she told herself. This was a quiet suburban town, with every kind of activity that took place in the day diminished during nightfall.

Like at the Akashi Hospital, the waiting room was filled with people, but a lot less compared to number. A few nurses and doctors walked around, chatting to each other about some medical operation or other.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. Amarante," Amu told the nurse at the desk.

"She's in Room 381," said the nurse, while shuffling through some important files.

"Okay. Thanks." Amu left the waiting room and went upstairs. There were a lot of doctors and nurses walking through the hallway as well. She found the room and swung open the door. She saw a tall woman dressed in a white coat staring at something on her desk.

"Yes?"

"_Well, here goes nothing," _Amu thought. "I'm here to ask you about something," she said.

The woman sat down in her chair and stared at her, a little uninterested, "Which is?"

"Is it true that Tsubasa Yuiki can't live past his first birthday?" she asked.

The doctor sighed, and nodded, "Yes. We did a double check on everything, and we're certain about it." Amu noticed the bags under her eyes as she spoke.

"Are you sure there's no treatment for his condition?"

Dr. Amarante shook her head, "No. Believe me, we've tried everything."

Amu's shoulders sagged slightly, "Oh….." Now she really did had no choice but to ask Yaya directly about it. She hoped that at least Yaya would give some kind of answer.

"Alright. Thank you for your time." She bowed in thanks. Turning around, she left the room and hurried down the hallway. Should she check the Internet one more time, just to make sure? But no. She already knew there were barely any articles that could relate to the Yuiki family. But what about the "devil" part?

"Oof!" She bumped into someone, falling backwards and landed on the hard marble floor. "Ow….." She looked up to see a slightly aggravated twintailed blonde teenage girl. "Ah! I'm sorry!" she apologized frantically.

Utau got up and brushed the dust off her arms, "What are you doing here? Last time I checked, you looked absolutely healthy."

Amu twiddled with her fingers nervously, "Oh, I just….had some….business to attend to…" Utau narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously.

"Why are you here?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She noticed that she was hiding something behind her back. It was a long black trident, its three points polished well and sharp. A stage prop?

Utau just shrugged, "Same reason as you." She started to walk away, leaving her behind. Amu swiftly caught up with her. She glared at her, "Why are you following me?"

Amu hesitated, "Uh…well…..About that…"

"You're not following me just because you're afraid of being alone at night, are you?" asked Utau. When she saw the blank look on Amu's face, she sighed, "Idiot. There can be dangerous things prowling around at night here."

"What? Are you telling me that random drunken guys will try to rape me on the street?" Amu joked.

The look on Utau's face grew serious, "It's not a joke. Well, it's not drunk guys you have to worry about at night. It's-"

A loud scream blocked off the sound of her voice. Amu could hear the sound of glass breaking and the sound of people's feet running hard against the cold marble tile floor.

"What's going on?" Was there some kind of emergency? No. It sounded like someone was trying to break into the hospital. But why would someone break into a hospital? Utau took an offensive stance, holding the trident in front of her like a weapon.

"Leave," she said, urgency clearly heard in her voice, "This isn't something you can face."

"What are you talking about?" More screams were heard. She felt the ground shook beneath their feet as "it" came closer. A revolting stench filled her nostrils, causing her to recoil. Her head started to throb in pain as images flashed through her mind. Her vision swam as she tried to stand upright. For a minute, she didn't see Utau standing in front of her. Instead, she saw a boy, his shoulders tense, holding a wooden sword tightly in his hands.

The sound of Utau's voice brought her back to reality, "Damn it. It's bigger than I thought." When she looked up to see what it was, she soon regretted that action.

Staring right at them with large crimson red orbs, stood a creature that was tall enough for its head to touch the ceiling. Drips of acidic salvia dropped from its jaws. Amu could even see the creature's skeleton, as if it hadn't eaten anything in weeks. Its hand took the form of long sharp tentacles.

"Ugh," said Utau, disgusted, "This is a bad one. I don't want to even know how long it has been in that form."

The creature opened its jaws, trying to say something, "H….h…" A red butterfly started taking form in Utau's open palm. "H….Help….me….." it managed to say at last. Letting out a high-pitched shriek, the creature charged forward, its tentacles extending and heading straight for them.

The butterfly in Utau's hand took off and faced the incoming creature. It suddenly exploded into smithereens, a powerful gust of wind knocking back the tentacles. Taking the chance, Utau ran forward and pierced one of them with her trident. Blood started gushing forth from the wound. The creature lifted its head up to the ceiling and shrieked with agony. To Amu's ears, it sounded ten times louder. She grabbed her head and tried to cover her ears from the unbearable sound. Furious, the creature let loose its free tentacle right at Amu, hungry for revenge.

"Get out of the way!" Utau shouted at her. Amu didn't hear her. The voices of two children in her mind blocked out any noise from the outside.

"_Hey, what happens if I meet a demon?" _the voice of a small girl asked,_ "I don't know karate. Or have any weapon."_

"_Just grab what's closest to you," _answered the voice of a small boy, _"Even if it isn't sharp or made of metal, if you hit it, the demon will be stunned momentarily."_

"_Grab what's closest to me…" _she thought. She searched around the area for something to use. She saw a pair of scissors that was conveniently placed behind her. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and charged at the tentacle. She slashed the scissors at it, creating a long cut. But the demon merely winced from the inflicted wound. It only took it a few seconds for it to recover. Enraged now, its tentacle wrapped around Amu, constricting her. She choked, grabbing at the tentacle that wrapped around her throat tightly.

Something whizzed through the air at high speed. A strange light covered in occult glyphs cut through the tentacle wrapped around Amu. The creature stepped back, frightened. Amu fell on the ground with a loud "thud".

"Ow. You could've at least be a bit more gentle," she complained, rubbing her behind.

"Sorry. Next time I'll magically summon pillows to soften your fall." She turned around to see Rima looking down at her, annoyed. She noticed that for once, Rima did not hold her beloved gag manga in her hands. The light that had rescued her returned to Rima, eager for another order to finish off the creature.

"I thought I told you that I don't want you coming after my prey," Utau growled at her.

"I only interfered because you had an extra package along with you," Rima said passively.

Amu felt like she needed to defend herself, "Hey! I was doing just fine!"

"I don't think nearly being choked to death is 'just fine'," Rima retorted.

"She's right you know," Utau said to her, "What were you thinking?! You could've been killed!"

"You do know that you're actually agreeing with her, right?" Amu pointed out.

"Yeah, why _are _you agreeing with me, Hoshina?"

"It's not agreeing, it's _stating a fact_," she hissed.

"'Agreeing' means 'having the same views, emotions, etc.'," Rima explained, ignoring Utau's growing irritation, "Which still technically means that you're agreeing with me."

The creature blinked; confused by why they were arguing with each other when they clearly could've taken the chance to finish it off. Deciding that this was its chance, its tentacles struck the window pane right next to it.

The trio turned around at the sound of glass breaking. Frightened, the creature tried to jump through the large hole it created.

Without even uttering a single sound, one of the lights surrounding Rima flew right at it. The light made the creature stop short, falling back in fear of being sliced again.

"Watch and learn." Rima held up her hands and muttered something. It sounded like some kind of eerie chant. A strange ring of occult glyphs appeared before her hands. The same ring surrounded the creature. It looked around frantically and tried to escape, but it was as if something was holding it back.

A bright light shone from beneath the creature's feet. Slowly, the ground beneath it began to sink, swallowing the creature up whole. The last that could be heard of it was its ear-piercing scream.

"…What happened to it?" Amu asked. The sound of the creature's scream still echoed in her ears.

"It went back to the spirit world," she replied, "Where it rightfully belongs."

"Tch," snorted Utau, "Says you at least. Last I checked you exorcists were supposed to bring those demons back to reason, not send them back to the spirit world. In any case, that doesn't make you any different from us demon hunters."

Rima casted her eyes down to the floor, "I'm….no savior. At least, I'll be the judge of that until I can recall my own sin."

"Whatever." Utau jumped out of the hole the creature created previously without another word. Amu was about to shout at her for being reckless, but saw that she had landed on the ground safely. Rima just sighed and started walking away.

"Wait, Mashiro-san!" Amu called out.

She turned her head, "Hm?"

"You know Yaya very well, right? Can you take me to her? I know she would probably refuse to talk to me, but I need to know what's going on. Because…..well….she can't hide it forever…."

After a long moment of consideration, she finally replied, "Fine. I'll take you to her. I have some questions I want to ask her anyway."

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**Meh. I didn't like making Amu the damsel in distress.** **Oh well. At least she tried to fight back.** **Next chapter has the big confrontation and more is revealed, especially concerning the "deal with the devil". Yaya's backstory will probably finish in the next chapter after that. Yeah. Her's is really short. Rima will probably have the longest backstory though, that I'm sure of.**


	19. Chapter 19

**New school semester starts tomorrow. T_T I wish my vacation lasted longer.**

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DING DONG.

Amu fidgeted with her fingers as Rima rang the doorbell. Yaya's house was pretty average much to Amu's surprise. She had thought that her family may be rich due to their jobs but it seems that wasn't the case.

A woman with curly brown hair opened the door, "Yes?"

"We're here to see Yaya," Rima told her.

"Rima-chan, right? You can come in," she said. The pair walked inside and was lead to the living room. "Yaya!" her mother yelled up the staircase, "Your friends are here!" Amu stared at her, anxious for a response from Yaya.

"…..Coming!" she shouted. Amu sighed with relief. Yaya ran down the stairs, her caramel eyes suspiciously sparkling with happiness. "What did you guys came here for?" she asked.

"We need to ask you about something," said Rima, all business.

Yaya's smile froze for a fraction of a second, but much to their surprise, she nodded, "Okay! We'd better talk in Yaya's room though."

* * *

They were greeted with toasted waffles from Yaya to snack on. Both Rima and Amu sat near the round table across from her. Even though she was trying to act cheerful, Amu could tell that she was only doing this not to worry them.

"Yaya," Amu started after she swallowed down a bite, "When did this all started? With your brother?"

The brunette hesitated before saying, "Well, one day, my parents announced that they had another baby and Mama was pregnant. At first, Yaya thought that he was going to steal all her parent's attention away from Yaya. But….after she saw how happy her parents were, she decided to give him a chance. And so one day, she made a prayer. She prayed that Tsubasa-kun would be delivered safely. And then, that's when that dream happened."

"Dream?"

"Yaya had a dream where a strange man appeared before her," she said, "He said that if she wants her brother to be born safely so badly, he will gladly grant her wish."

"The 'devil'?" guessed Amu.

"Do you remember what he looks like?" Rima asked.

Yaya shook her head, "No. But for one thing, Yaya didn't like him. Even though his words sounded kind and gentle, there was something about the tone of his voice that sounded like he was trying to taunt you. To make you tempted with desire so that you couldn't say no."

"So even though he said he'll grant your wish," said Rima, "He didn't mention the consequences. Your wish only stated for Tsubasa to be delivered safely. It didn't stated that you wanted him to live on forever."

"Actually, that's exactly what he said when Yaya told him about Tsubasa-kun's sickness," said Yaya, lowering her head, "'You only wished for him to be delivered safely, not to stay alive forever. It's your own fault for agreeing to it in the first place.' At first, Yaya was mad at him, but then thought that maybe…things would be better if she pretends that she didn't had a brother in the first place. That way she wouldn't feel so much pain. Do you know why Yaya refers to herself in third person?" The two of them shook their heads. "It's because referring to herself in third person makes her feel that this isn't happening to her. It makes her feel like she's someone different. It's her way of distancing herself from the tragedy."

"Are you….okay with that?" asked Amu.

Her shoulders slumped. "Yaya doesn't know," she answered truthfully, "Yaya can't tell the difference between what's right or wrong anymore."

* * *

Amu was silent when they finally left the house. What else could she do? She had no solution for making Yaya feel better. Tsubasa was going to die. That fact will never change. There was no hope in changing fate.

Rima was walking up ahead, also silent, but most likely because she wasn't a very talkative person. Amu recalled Utau hinting that Rima had someone close to her that had died a long time ago.

"Hey, Mashiro-san," she called out.

"Hm?"

"Did you ever have one of your family relatives or your friends die?"

"…..Yes. One of my friends. I can't exactly remember him though," Rima replied.

"If you knew he was going to die from the start, what would you do?"

"I…." She paused, pondering what to say next. "I guess….I would probably be mad at him, telling him that if he dies I'll bring him back to life just so I can kill him."

Amu sweatdropped, "O-kay….?" She wasn't so sure if she wanted to know exactly what kind of relationship she had with her friend.

"After I calm down, then….I'll probably tell him even though I'm still upset, I didn't mean any of those hateful words I said to him. Instead, I was happy that he was by my side. I'm glad I became friends with him." Even though her back was turned, Amu could tell that she was smiling rather sadly at the memory of him.

"……Did he love you?"

Rima shrugged, "He never gave much of a hint of his feelings towards me."

"But according to Utau, he died heartbroken," pointed out Amu, "That says something. Plus, you're pretty. Any boy would fall for you."

Rima snorted, "He met me when I was eight years old. Boys really didn't give me much of a glance back then."

"Do you love him?"

At those words, Rima stopped so abruptly that Amu nearly bumped into her. Amu wasn't sure if she had said something that she shouldn't have said. She couldn't see the expression on her face in the dim light of the street lamp above.

"I don't know if you can call it 'love'…." she said at last, "But what I do know is that I'm very fond of him. I can't really say if my feelings for him extend beyond liking him as a friend though." Amu couldn't tell if that was an honest answer or was just a stubborn excuse. It oddly sounded like a mixture of both.

"Anymore questions you want to ask about my love life?" Rima turned around, revealing the annoyed expression on her face.

"No." It was probably best not to provoke the icy short blonde girl at the moment. Though, she still couldn't understand why Rima did not like having to bring up talk of the past. Especially when concerning her relationship with that boy.

* * *

Amu dropped to the floor, tired, when she opened the door to her bedroom. The Hinamori mansion was silent. Everyone had already gone to bed before her. Despite all of the eventful stuff that had happened, she wasn't tired yet. She went to the printer to read the papers she wanted to look at previously.

….Except that they were torn into pieces, the remains of the papers flying about the room.

Amu stared at the mess before her in shock. Who could've done this? Maybe it was a prank from Ami. But Ami's pranks never went that far. Maybe Akki ripped them up. But the pieces of paper were dry, with no traces of doggy saliva. The ghosts were too respectful of her property to be the ones who did it. Ikuto would've simply not cared. The only other person who was in her room today was….

She froze. Was it Tsukasa? But why would he do that? Not to mention, he always acted so nice to her so he really didn't seem like the sinister type. But it didn't matter. She shouldn't get too worked up over this. They were only printed from the Internet. She could always get another copy.

Her mind went back to Yaya's problem. There really was no solution. What could you do for a baby boy who was about to die? Rima said she'll tell that person she's grateful for getting to meet him, but you can't exactly say that to a baby. He wouldn't understand.

Then it came to her. All that was needed was for some cooperative quality big-sister-and-little-brother time.

* * *

On the streets during night time at Harima, a girl with long butterscotch curls still walked amongst the streets. She was in no hurry to get back home. She always made sure her parents were in deep sleep before she left to exorcise some demons. They would never know.

She stopped before the field reserved for her school's P.E. classes. There was a field for the soccer, the baseball, and the football team. And last, but not least, a basketball court for the basketball team. A basketball court.

Rima swung open the gate and stepped inside. No one was around. No traces of life walked around to disturb her. Her attention was directed at the side bench. Her fingers moved over the bench's surface delicately. She recalled sitting in a place like this. She sat down, looking out across the court. The sight of a basketball hoop caught her attention. In another time. In another place. A boy would be playing basketball with his friends under the hoop, and would perform a perfect shot. A girl would be standing by the sidelines. Clutching a gag manga in her hands.

She sighed. She couldn't remember the boy's face or his name. It was mysteriously blocked out of her mind, out of reach.

Why did she exorcise demons? She did not know the answer to that question. Her aunt was a former exorcist. She merely carried on her traditions and skills. She remembered one time; Utau went to her, wanting to become an exorcist. This was before she became a demon hunter. However, when she found out her methods and many other secrets about her, Utau lost all respect for her and abandoned her lessons to become a demon hunter. At that point, Rima found out some stuff about her as well, and in turn, lost all respect for her. She saw no point in killing demons just to see if they knew where her dead relative was. Couldn't she see that there was no point? Even if he shares the same face, voice, and name, could he really still be the same person she knew for almost all her life? He will not share the same cherished memories she holds. Even if he does recover them, the new memories he gained, and those he reclaimed, will collide with each other, thus turning him into someone completely different.

"_Do you love him?"_

She feels a stabbing feeling of guilt in her heart when she thinks about him. When she tries to recall her memories about him, she feels a pang of loneliness and longing. Was that love?

Nobuko said there were two types of people in this town: people who are waiting for someone and people who have someone waiting for them. But she failed to mention the third category. People who just went about their normal lives, not waiting for anyone. She was in this category. She already acknowledged that nothing can bring her friend back to life. Even if he did turn into a ghost, she won't chase after him blindly like Utau would.

She gave a small smile. She was contradicting herself again. She simply didn't want those painful memories to show up again. There was a reason for locking them away. And so, she'll keep them like that for as long as she can. Besides, she knows that her friend is as good as dead. It's an unlikely chance for someone you know to be turned into a ghost and live in the world of humans.

Unfortunately for her, she doesn't know that exact same boy is on the distant rooftop of the Hinamori mansion, looking up at the same half moon as her. His locks of purple hair blew about in the wind, his amber eyes reflecting the half moon's glow. A cream-colored Shiba Inu lay down by his side, fast asleep. Only one thought crosses his mind.

"_Who am I?"_

_

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_**I am going to have so much fun when Nagihiko and Rima finally meet each other. x) Next chapter concludes the coverage of Yaya's backstory and we'll go back to exploring Amu's relationships with the ghosts afer that. I honestly feel like the six of them don't really have a stable friendship with each other. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Woot! This story has reached 100 reviews! ^ ^ Thank you for all of your support, guys! And happy birthday, Rima! My little adorable blonde loli. x3**

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"Tadase-kun!"

The blonde boy turned at the sound of his name, "Yes?"

"Do you know how to make a birthday cake?" Amu asked him. Her golden eyes glinted with a fierce determination.

He thought for a moment, "I know some concepts, but I can't really say I'm an expert at it."

She sighed, "I guess I'll go ask Nagihiko then." There was no way in the world would she ask Tsukasa. He would probably insist on helping out until she was frustrated enough to tear her hair out. Nagihiko seemed to be the best person to go to for these kind of things. Though how he got such excellent cooking and baking skills, she will never know.

Tadase stopped her, "Wait." He put his finger to his lips, "Don't. He's sleeping."

"Sleeping?" She peeked into the lounge and sure enough, Nagihiko was snoozing on top of one of the sofas. His long locks of purple hair spread out against the couch and his chest moved up and down as he took in a breath of air. Ami and Akki were staring at him, while Ami kept positioning the camera in her hands at different angles.

"Ami, what are you doing?" Amu asked her younger sister. Even though she would be too flustered to admit it, Nagihiko's sleeping face was kind of cute.

"I'm trying to find the right angle to take long-haired Onii-chan's picture," she said.

Amu sweatdropped, "Why are you calling him 'Onii-chan'? And why are you taking pictures of him?"

"Don't you remember? Papa said we have to send him a lot of pictures so he knows how we're doing," Ami told her. It was a promise their father forced them to make. According to him, they must send him well-taken pictures of the mansion, places and people in the town, and most of all, lovely pictures of his "shining stars".

"I don't think Dad would be pleased if you send him a picture of a boy sleeping on the sofa…." She knew very well how her father would react to the prospect of his "little sparrows" living alone with a boy. Not that it was a bad thing. At least he didn't get all strict about it. Though she knew it was probably best if her father didn't know. He'll probably run around the block twenty times until he fell over from fatigue if he knew.

"Besides, even if you try to take a picture of him, he won't show up," said Tadase, "We ghosts can't show up on film. Kairi said it had something to do with physics."

Ami made a face, "That sucks. I guess I can only take a picture of Akki then."

"Arf!" barked Akki. He chased his tail and ran into Ikuto, who was just passing by. He glared at the canine, still upset over what had happened when they first met. The dog cocked its head in response, trying to look as innocent as possible. Shaking his head, Ikuto looked up and noticed Nagihiko sleeping.

"Is that the girly boy?" he asked, pointing at him.

"Obviously," Amu replied, "Who else in this house has purple hair? And his name is Nagihiko, not 'girly boy'."

Ikuto frowned, "That's strange. I didn't think girly boy slept." He ignored the exasperated sigh coming from Amu.

"Nii-san! He may be a ghost, but he needs to sleep sometimes," Tadase scolded him.

He rolled his eyes, "That's not what I meant. It's just that he always seems like the type of guy who never shows how worn out he is in front of other people."

"Now that you mention it, do you guys notice that whenever it looks like something is troubling him he always says: 'it's nothing'?" Amu asked them. Nagihiko often had a sad or thoughtful expression on his face whenever he stared off into space. When she tried to question him about it, he always told her that it was nothing.

Ikuto shrugged, "I do, but I don't think it matters. If he has his own problems he doesn't want us to know about, then I say let him take care of it himself." Amu noticed Tadase shooting him a worried look but whatever it was about, Ikuto didn't seem to notice. He caught Amu staring at her and quickly changed the subject.

"Hinamori-san? Remember your question about how to make a cake? I think there's a recipe book in the kitchen that may be useful," he told her.

"Oh! Thanks, Tadase-kun! Do you know where it is?" He nodded and gestured for her to follow him. "Ami! Tell me when he wakes up okay?" Amu shouted over her shoulder. The little girl nodded and muttered something as she took a picture of Akki in begging position.

* * *

Tadase flipped open the recipe book he found in the cupboard of the kitchen. It was rather dusty and there was even a couple of colorful spoltches on some of the pages. Amu looked over his shoulder, checking out each recipe for something that might make a good birthday cake.

"How about this one, Hinamori-san?" The page had a picture of a rather large cake covered in strawberry icing.

She nodded, satisfied with his choice, "It looks sweet enough. Alright! Time to start baking!"

Both of them gathered various ingredients: cake mix, strawberry-flavored gelatin powder, vegetable oil, eggs, water, strawberries, butter, and confectioner's sugar. Amu read the recipe, squinting as she did so.

"It says: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit," she read out loud. Tadase went over to the oven to preheat it. She went ahead and started cutting up the strawberries into small little pieces. "Ow!" she cried. She accidentally created a small cut on her finger from the blade of the knife.

"Hinamori-san?" Tadase rushed over and reached for her wounded hand. Their fingertips brushed against each other, a cold sensation going through Amu's body. Noticing this, both of them swiftly jerked their hands away from each other.

"_What's wrong with me?" _she thought. She brought her hands to her face, feeling the heat rising up to her cheeks. _"This is so awkward! Our hands just brushed against each other, that's all! It's not like we had some kind of relationship! Wait…." _A powerful headache came over her as she tried to think.

"What are you guys doing?"

Nagihiko's drowsy voice broke the awkward tension between them.

"Oh, N-Nagihiko," said Tadase nervously, "You're awake?"

He rubbed his eyes sleepily, "Yeah." He noticed Amu's head was turned away from them, and seemed to be embarrassed about something. He gave Tadase a quizzical stare, "Did something happen?"

"Of course not!" Amu quickly denied, "Nothing happened at all!" She tried to keep back her blush from showing again.

His amber eyes narrowed in suspicion but he said nothing else.

* * *

"Mashiro-san?" Amu held her cellphone to her ear, waiting to hear the sound of Rima's voice at the other end of the receiver.

"_How did you get my number?"_ She sounded slightly irritated, as if she had interrupted her while she was doing something.

"Yaya gave it to me. I need you to go to Yaya's house. I know you probably won't listen to me, but please come," she pleaded, "It's for Yaya."

Rima sighed, _"Fine. Whatever." _Just as she thought, Rima could never say no when it dealt with Yaya.

"Great! Thanks, Mashiro-san!" She hung up, pleased. Her plan was progressing nicely.

"Amu-chan, your cake's ready," said Nagihiko. Behind him, a large pink cake covered in pink icing sat on the counter. It looked absolutely perfect and edible to eat…Except it was a little lopsided.

"….What happened?" Amu asked, shocked by the outcome, "I thought I followed all of the ingredients and directions carefully!"

"Don't worry about it," Nagihiko reassured her, "It doesn't tilt that far. The cake should still be stable enough. Just don't shake it around too much when you carry it in a box."

"Okay…" She couldn't shake off her disappointment though. She had hoped to create the best birthday cake and it didn't turn out so well. But it was the thought that counts.

Nagihiko gently placed the cake into a large white square box. He closed it shut and tied it up with a small ribbon. He gave it to Amu, "Here you go."

She took the box in her hands, "Thanks for your help, Nagihiko. I'll be back." She exited the kitchen and went out the front door. She wasn't really sure how well her plan would turn out. Truthfully, Rima was only needed to add to the feel of having a birthday party. She couldn't ask Utau, since she didn't know her phone number and she had a feeling that Utau can't stand to be in the same room as Rima.

She quickened her pace. She had to hurry. She didn't know exactly at what time Yaya's ballet classes ended. It was best to arrive there as soon as possible.

Just as she thought that, her foot slipped on a stray plastic bag left on the sidewalk. Someone behind her grabbed her by the arm as quickly as he or she could, pulling her up to safety.

"Are you alright?" the person asked, "You need to be more careful."

"I'm sorry!" Amu apologized, ashamed at how clumsy she was. She really needed to be more careful. If the cake fell, it could produce disastrous results. The woman who saved her had light brown hair tied up in a bun and lilac eyes. Her face was kind though her lilac eyes looked rather spirited.

"You don't have to apologize," she said, "Just be more careful next time." She released her grip on Amu's arm and waved goodbye. Amu noticed how slender and delicate her fingers were, just like a pianist's.

* * *

"You're late," Rima commented, annoyed. She was tapping her foot impatiently when Amu finally arrived at Yaya's house.

"Sorry. Is Yaya here yet?" She was panting hard from running so fast.

"No. Her mother said she's still at ballet class," replied Rima.

"Good! We still have some time!" She went up to the front door of Yaya's house and rang the doorbell. When Yaya's mother swung open the door, Amu quickly went past her into the living room.

"Hinamori-san? Where are you going?" asked Yaya's mother, taken back by Amu's sudden entry. She quickly gave her a brief outline of her plan to fix the relationship between Yaya and Tsubasa. Her mother agreed on it, "I see. I'll let you guys know when she comes home."

Bowing her head in thanks, Amu set the cake on the dining table. Tsubasa was already there, staring at the guests with curiosity. Rima came over, and Amu noticed that she was holding a couple of DVDs in her hands.

"What's that?"

"It's a couple of comedy movies. I already figured out your plan when you called me over so I thought I should bring some DVDs." A faint blush crept up to her cheeks. She was obviously embarrassed that she admitted this fact to her.

"You really like comedy, don't you?" Amu asked her.

She glared at her in response, "Yes. What's wrong with that?" She was very stubborn.

"Nothing," Amu said swiftly to calm the stubborn icy girl. Despite being very cold, Rima did kind of have a cute side to her. Maybe that was why Yaya took a liking to her so easily.

"She's nearly here!" Yaya's mother hissed at them, "I'll buy you guys some time. You can go ahead with the decorations."

* * *

"Amu-chi? Rima-tan?"

Yaya tilted her head, confused on why both Amu and Rima were in her house. Not to mention, the living room was decorated with long pink streamers and they seemed to be hiding something behind their backs.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I know it's early, but it's the least you can do for your brother, right?" said Amu, "The cake's already cut up. Sing a song for Tsubasa."

Yaya looked at the baby sitting across the table, who was clapping his hands together eagerly. She gradually put the parts together and realized what they were getting at. She hesitated, unsure of what to do. She brought up her hands, and slowly clapped them together, at the same rhythm Tsubasa was clapping.

"Happy birthday to you," she sang, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Tsubasa-kun. Happy birthday to you~" Tsubasa laughed gleefully when she finished the song.

"Alright! Let's eat the cake!" Amu announced. She lifted the cover off of it, revealing a slightly tilted cake covered in pink icing. One small yellow candle rested on the top.

"Strawberry~!" Yaya squealed. She was about to grab a piece until Rima gave her a stern glare which stopped her. "But-"she whined. Rima shook her head and pointed at Tsubasa's direction. He was staring at the cake in awe, his hands trying to reach forth for the cake. Sighing, Yaya took a scoop of pink icing from the cake with a spoon and deposited it in Tsubasa's bowl. The boy awkwardly tried to pick up his own spoon and bringing it to his mouth. Parts of his face got covered in icing, which caused Amu to giggle and Yaya to smile.

"Oh. Yaya has something for you, Tsubasa-kun." She took out a small gift box from her pocket. She started to unwrap it, revealing the contents inside.

"A….pacifer?" Amu was speechless. She was expecting something a little bit more….fancy. The pacifier was blue in color and Tsubasa was swinging it with his hand.

Yaya pouted, "Mama says Yaya sucks on her pacifier all the time when she was a baby. So Yaya thought it might make a good gift. Plus, Tsubasa-kun's old one was a yucky color." She was obviously very proud of herself.

Amu sighed, "Never mind." She never changed.

* * *

**I am absolutely positive now that this story is going to take up 30+ chapters. I'm not so sure just exactly how many chapters I'm going to dedicate to the development of the relationship between Amu and the ghosts.**

**Mystery girl is pretty easy to find out her identity. It all depends on good memory and whether or not you watch the anime.**


	21. Chapter 21

Amu was having lunch with Yaya again, like always. She munched on the piece of soy sauce-covered nori in her bento box. Yaya threw in a piece of chocolate into her mouth, another gift of chocolates given by Rima that she didn't want to keep. Ever since the birthday party, Yaya had returned to her energetic and optimistic self.

"Hey, Amu-chi," she said, "Have you ever thought about what you are going to do when summer vacation comes? I was thinking that if we could, you, Rima-tan, and Yaya could go play together sometime."

"I don't know," said Amu, "I haven't really thought about it much. My parents are away on vacation so I can't really spend the time with them." Before, her family would always go to some place during the summer vacation. Sometimes they would have a picnic, camp out somewhere, or go to the beach, the amusement park, or the movies.

But now her parents weren't here with her. It had been nearly a week without them. The only people she had was Ami, Akki, Tsukasa, and….the ghosts. Could you exactly do anything with ghosts on vacation? She would love for all of them to go somewhere together. But it would probably be bad for the ghosts if they went to a public place. She didn't want to deal with refraining herself from talking to the ghosts if they did ended up saying something.

"Where's Mashiro-san?" she asked, changing the subject.

Yaya shrugged, "She has another confession. Rima-tan is really popular with the boys." She then giggled, "Yaya feels bad for them though. Rima-tan will never let any of her fanboys into her heart." The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. She got up, pouting, "Awwww!!!! Yaya didn't even finish her chocolates yet! Yaya guesses she'll eat them in class then…" She waved goodbye, "If you have nothing to do over break, tell Yaya okay?"

* * *

"Hey, Ami, where do you think we should go for summer break?"

Amu was flipping through a fashion magazine to pass the time. She didn't felt like doing homework. Her mind was on the incoming summer break. The only friend she had was Yaya, and she wasn't particularly close with Rima yet, even though there was a likely chance that she will still come if Yaya was there.

"It doesn't matter as long it's a place that's a lot of fun," she replied. Ami swung her feet back and forth as she lay down on her belly to read a book.

Amu frowned, wondering what kind of place she could go to with her sister and the ghosts as well. Maybe she should discuss it with the ghosts….?

She got up and went down to the lounge. All of the ghosts were gathered there, staring off into space or twiddling with their thumbs.

"Hey, guys. Do you want to go anywhere for vacation?" she asked them, "Summer break is coming up soon and I want to know what you guys think."

They all blinked, "So?"

She sighed, "So I can have your opinion. I don't want to accidentally go to a place you guys don't want to go to."

Ikuto yawned, "I don't care as long as it's comfy."

Kukai leaned back in his armchair, "What about the pool? I haven't been to one in a long time."

Tadase rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, I saw this commercial for this movie once and I really want to see it. So….maybe the movies?"

Nagihiko shook his head, "Both of you are suggesting public places. We're ghosts. We can't go there. Why not we settle for small activities? Like catching bugs or hitting watermelons or lighting up firecrackers."

Kairi cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, "If we are to look for the perfect place to go to during summer break, I have just the thing for all of you." He exited the room and came back with a pile of magazines. He placed them on the coffee table with a loud thump. Each of the ghosts took a magazine from the pile and started searching through them.

Kukai pointed to one page of his magazine, "What about the amusement park?"

Kairi turned down that suggestion, "There will be a lot of people there. It won't be fun if people can't see us."

"Maybe the zoo?"

Everyone turned to give Tadase a look.

"Sorry," he said meekly, "It was just a suggestion."

"What about the beach?"

They all looked up to see Tsukasa smiling at them brightly. He had his hand placed on the top of Ikuto's head, much to his annoyance, "So? Why not?"

"No!"

Amu stood up, taken back by her sudden cry.

"Something wrong, Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked her.

"No…It's just um….." She hung her head, ashamed, "I….don't have a swimsuit."

After a few minutes of silence, Kukai let out a burst of laughter, "Hahahaha!! That's the only thing you're worried about?"

Nagihiko struck him in the back of his head, "Shut it. You're embarrassing her."

"And….I don't think I have enough money to afford one," she continued, depressed. She usually got her money from her parents but the money they had given her didn't lasted for very long. Her parents said that they would try to send her money as soon as possible but the mail was slow here.

"You could get a job if you're low on cash," Tsukasa suggested, "Because of the frequent supernatural happenings, a lot of people are scared to work in some places."

"I can help you find a job," said Kairi, "There are plenty of wanted posters around this town. I'm sure there's a job out there suitable to your liking, Ojou-sama."

Before she could protest, Tsukasa clapped his hands together, "Then it's settled. Once you get enough money to buy a swimsuit, we can all go to the beach together this weekend!" He walked off, humming happily. Amu was in shock, unsure of how she should take that. Originally, they were talking about summer vacation and she wasn't so sure how it jumped to what they were going to do together over the weekend.

The ghosts stared after Tsukasa, suspicious of his actions, _"He's definitely up to something."_

_

* * *

_

Worn out, Amu dragged herself to her bedroom for some rest. She passed by a doorway leading down to some unknown dark depths. She stopped, recalling that this was the same room where she read that terrifying fact about the ghosts. She shuddered. Those words still cut through her like a knife. Was it a good idea to want to spend some time with the ghosts?

Amu didn't know when she had started it, but her feet subconsciously made their way down the staircase. Once again, the darkness swallowed her up, blinding her vision. When she felt her feet hit the solid ground, her hands searched around for a light switch. She felt a bead-like string and tugged at it. Light filled the room, relieving her of the darkness.

The bookshelf was the same as always. With several of the books poking out of the shelves. She scanned the shelves, examining the spines of each book. Almost every one of them dealt with the topic of the occult. She remembered Tsukasa saying that a scholar who studied the supernatural once lived here. Maybe he was the one who planted these books into the basement.

She reached out for one, taking out a book with a round gem embedded on the cover. The book's cover and spine was colored a deep black with the gem resting on top of a red diamond. The spine read nothing strangely. Frowning, Amu flipped open the book, going to the first page. Still no title. She continued going through the pages, and found some text.

"_Here in this book,_

_A future weaves itself into a story_

_However, endings are indefinite_

_All things are meant to be_

_And cannot be tampered with."_

"_Cannot be tampered with…What does that mean?" _she thought. This book was giving off a strange eerie feel. Then again, just about everything in this room did. She turned to the next page.

"_In the town of the paranormal,_

_Where people are trapped in oblivion,_

_Lives a girl who denies our existence_

_Five events occur_

_Pawprints lead to a man with a severed head_

_A shadow creeps upon the famed swords_

_Child games are burned into a distorted image_

_The words' blood seep through the cement walls_

_Two doppelgangers reside in the heart_

_Of these events, who is to blame?"_

Wait. The first three events sounded familiar. The murder where a man's head was chopped off with an unknown weapon. The crime where the swords were stolen in the case of a locked room. The heavily burnt soccer balls in the storage shed with no distinct motivation behind it. But how did this book knew that? Unless…..the person could tell the future like Nobuko Saeki. This meant the last two events had yet to occur.

But there was one line that bothered her the most.

"_Lives a girl who denies our existence…."_

That was her. It had to be. But how did the author knew that she hated the supernatural with such a strong passion?

* * *

**Due to a change of plans, there will be a few more chapters dedicated to giving more development to Amu's relationship with the ghosts. Maybe about three chapters?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hooray for Mid-Winter Recess! ^ ^ Except my teachers decides to help me celebrate with a large pile of homework. -_-**

**For those who didn't get the prophecy in the previous chapter, do not fret, for it will all make sense when we get farther into the story.**

**

* * *

**

The townspeople talked to each other in low whispers as they walked down the streets of Harima's shopping district. Amu was following Kairi, who floated ahead of her. They were going job hunting, looking for the perfect job for her. But every advertisement they came across had nothing that appealed to her.

She crumpled up the piece of paper in her hand into a ball, "Nope. There's no way I can be a repairman."

"Should we keep looking?" asked Kairi.

She nodded her head, "We have to. There's no other way for me to earn money."

"What about this one?" Kairi found a poster asking for a waitress to fill in for one of their empty spots. It stated to go to a Western-styled restaurant found at the edge of the shopping district for further details. Being a waitress sounded okay. It was definitely better than the job of delivering newspapers.

"It says to come over for an interview which will happen tomorrow," he read out loud, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's the best I got," she said, "If I can't reach their expectations then…."

"….If you don't make it, then don't worry about it, Ojou-sama," Kairi told her, his head turned away so she couldn't see his face, "There will always be another time that you will be able to spend a moment of vacation with us."

"Arf! Arf!" Akki barked. The dog had insisted on taking him on a walk, which was a task they had been neglecting lately. He pawed the piece of paper cautiously. A sudden gust of wind blew it away, causing him to run after it. Startled, Amu found herself being dragged away by Akki, who was chasing after the ad in hot pursuit.

"Akki, stop!" she cried out. Another gust of wind blew the paper back to the spot where Kairi was standing. Barking, Akki dashed after it, once again dragging Amu along with him. He ran around in circles around Kairi, causing Amu to bump right into him.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the same chilling sensation she felt when Ikuto touched her.

…But it never came. Granted, it still felt cold, but it didn't make her shudder in fear and disgust like before. She looked up to see his shocked face. Kairi felt solid, almost like a….

"Kairi-"she started but she then suddenly fell right through him, her face making contact with the hard cement below.

"Arf! Arf! Arf!" Akki's barks sounded like the sound of laughter when he saw the position Amu was in.

Amu slowly rose from the ground, flames surrounding her in an angry blaze, "Akki….." The dog immediately shut up and whined in fear. Amu's golden eyes glinted dangerously, "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." Akki lowered himself to the ground, whimpering.

"She's right you know. Ojou-sama could've injured her face if she took a serious fall like that," Kairi scolded him. He looked a little disoriented, still taken back by what had happened previously. Even though Amu was angry at Akki, she slowly forgot about it as her mind became occupied with trying to figure out what had happened previously.

There was no doubt about it. Even though Kairi isn't exactly alive, for a one brief moment, he felt and smelt like a human.

* * *

The next day, Amu stood in front of the restaurant in awe. Through the windows, she could see tables covered in checkered tablecloths, arranged in several places around the room. There was one long counter in the corner for the customers to sit alongside and have a drink. There was also a large grand piano in the other corner of the restaurant. Only a few people were inside. She assumed that they must not really have a lot of business.

"It's like it came right out of a Western movie," commented Kairi. Amu had begged him to come with her. It would be good to have someone with her during the interview. And he seemed pretty knowledgeable about things like this.

She still couldn't take her mind off of what had happened yesterday. Kairi's chest felt so soft…Wait a minute! What was she thinking?! Then again, Ikuto and Nagihiko probably looked hot shirtless. Gah! She did it again!

"Uh, Ojou-sama? You can go in."

Kairi's voice brought her back to Earth, "Huh? Oh yeah!" Rima was right. She really needed to stop dazing off like that. She swung open the door, the man at the counter looking up at the sound of their arrival.

"Ah, a new customer!" he said, "Would you like our Ultimate Cheeseburger?"

Amu shook her head, "No. I'm here for the interview."

The man grinned widely, pleased, "Really? Thank goodness. I was afraid that we weren't going to get anyone to fill in the spot."

"You again?"

Amu turned around to see Utau, sitting at one of the tables. She held a sandwich in her hands, bringing it to her mouth. After swallowing down a mouthful, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

The man at the counter raised an eyebrow, "You know Utau Hoshina? Well then, I won't interrupt your conversation." He went back to polishing out a wine glass at the sink behind him.

"I wanted a job so I came here when I saw their ad," Amu told Utau, "I'm not so sure if I'll be able to get the job though."

Utau looked around the room, "With this many people coming in, there's a huge guarantee that you'll get the job even if your skills suck."

"How come?"

"You heard about the murder incident a week back, right? Well, the man who got murdered was apparently a regular customer here," she said, "Because of that, many people believe that the demon who murdered him will come after the other customers next."

"Are you here to hunt down that demon?" Amu asked her. Hearing this, Kairi frowned, but he didn't say anything.

"Even if I was, I won't be able to. Whoever killed that guy is probably long gone." She then rolled her eyes, "Besides, it's a load of bull if you ask me. I don't know why people are still scared about that. If the murder only took place a week ago, then isn't it obvious that it won't come back for more victims?"

"By the way, Hoshina-san, I've been meaning to ask you. You remembered what happened back at the hospital? What was that about?"

Utau looked down at her sandwich, silent for a few minutes, "That was a demon. A demon is said to be a mortal and deformed form of a ghost."

Amu froze. A ghost? Did that mean…..one day, all of the ghosts might become something as revolting as that? Kairi lowered his head, a shadow passing over his face.

"They say that demons appeared at the same time ghosts did. When the ghosts slowly lost their insanity from staying too long in the human world, they became demons, who often broke into a psychotic killing frenzy. My job is to hunt down these demons and slay them." Utau held out her palm, revealing a red butterfly resting on top of it, "Most of the skills I obtained were passed down from Mashiro."

"Mashiro? You mean Rima Mashiro?"

"Yes. She's an exorcist. But…." Her violet eyes flashed as fury blazed in her eyes, "She is a coward. She needs to learn to stop lingering so much and face her past."

Even though those words were directed at Rima and not her, Amu couldn't help but feel stung by those words. She had no recollection of some of her memories. Why was that? Did she had the same reasoning as Rima and locked them away in a similar matter as she did?

"Ah, Sion! How are you?"

Amu looked up at the sound of the door being swung open. She saw a woman standing at the entrance, her light brown hair tied back in a bun. Her long, delicate fingers grasped onto the strap of her bag.

"It's you!" she cried out. It was the same woman who saved her from falling before. There was a necklace around her neck. Inside the pendant that hung off from it was something small and green. A….clover?

The woman smiled at her, "You're the girl from before, right? Were you okay after that?"

"Y-Yeah."

She held out her hand for a handshake, "I'm Sion Fujiko. I'm a pianist here."

Amu shook her hand in greeting, "I'm Amu. Amu Hinamori. Excuse me, but your name sounds kind of familiar….."

Sion giggled, "That's probably because I'm more than just a pianist at a local restaurant."

"Huh?" The name "Sion" sounded quite familiar. She was sure that she heard that name sometime from her mother.

"Sion here is a famous pianist in Japan," explained the man at the counter, "She just came back from her teachings in America."

"I decided to take a break from doing my official work and work in this restaurant," Sion continued, "I'll probably stay in this town for a few months before I go back." For the first time, Amu noticed there was something off about her compared to the first time they met. Her lilac eyes didn't gleam with energy and looked as ecstatic as before. Instead, they were rather red and puffy, as if she had spent all of last night crying her eyes out.

The man noticed this as well, "Sion? Is something wrong?"

The woman shook her head, attempting to wipe her eyes with the back of her sleeve, "No. It's nothing." His face creased with concern, but he sighed, deciding it was best to ignore it.

"Oh and young lady, are you ready for your interview?" he addressed Amu.

The pinkette nodded her head hesitantly, "I guess…." Sion went to the back of the room, placing her bag at the stool near the piano. Her fingers went up to her necklace, fingering the pendant.

* * *

After the interview, Kairi exited the restaurant along with Amu. She let out a huge sigh of relief as she stretched out her arms.

"Thank goodness that it's over," she said.

"Yeah." He had given her a few tips on what to say during the interview. He was confident that with his guidance, she would surely pass and get the job.

However, he didn't feel like celebrating. The twintailed girl back in the restaurant still bothered him. He could sense a small amount of spiritual power emitting from her, though it was not large enough to give her the ability to be able to see him. She could be a dangerous enemy for a demon hunter.

"Ojou-sama, is your friend a demon hunter by any chance?" he asked his golden-eyed mistress.

She thought about it for a moment, "If you can call her that, than I guess so. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just...Ojou-sama, I do not like being very demanding, but I must request that you do not tell your friend about us," he pleaded. Even though the girl's spiritual power was low, he could not help but feel a chill in her company.

"Why not?"

He sighed, "This may sound selfish to you, but if your friend finds out that you have been living with ghosts, then she would most certainly come after us. Even though none of us are demons yet, she will track us down and do everything she can to eliminate us. But most of all, I especially request that you do not tell your exorcist friend about us."

"Exorcist? You mean Mashiro-san?"

"Yes. The fact that she taught a demon hunter to be able to make her gain enough knowledge to have some spiritual power scares me. Your demon hunter friend will be unable to see us; however, there is no doubt that your exorcist friend will have that desirable ability."

"Oh, okay…." She seemed a little sad. Kairi couldn't blame her. She obviously longed to have someone to talk to about the ghosts instead of keeping it secret from most.

Suddenly, he sensed a strange presence in the area. It gave him a strong feeling of revulsion. He had a pretty good idea what it was.

"Wait here," he told Amu as he ran off. His palms started glowing with a bright light.

"Kairi!" she called after him. But he didn't dare stop. A strong desire came over him, blocking out all of his senses and thinking.

"_I'll…..I'll protect you, Hinamori-sempai!" _cried out a boy's voice in his mind. If he wasn't so overcome with alarm, he would've stopped to wonder why that voice sounded so familiar. He turned around a corner, spotting someone's huge bulk, crouching in the alleyway, its tentacles trying to cover most of its body.

Kairi brought his hand to his palm, pulling a katana clean out of his hand like a sheath. Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped into the air and brought it down upon his opponent. The katana sliced the demon in half, blood spewing out of each half. Both sides collapsed to the floor, Kairi landing right in a lake of blood. He brought his hand up to his face, realizing that it was partially stained with blood. Within a few minutes, the blood stains eventually vanished, but the sight of his hand brought a painful pang to his head.

An image flashed through his mind. He was facing a large dark presence, a wooden sword held out before him. His palms were sweaty and clammy, as he tried to steady his grip on his sword.

* * *

**For those who guessed that the mystery girl was Sion, you were right! :) It wasn't really that hard unless you didn't followed the anime. On that note, there will be some SionXKukai. I didn't reveal it before, because she was kind of a spoiler herself and I didn't expect to put her in the story so soon. **

**This chapter was very Kairi-centered, which I'm trying to do right now. Make a chapter centering around each ghost. Unfortunately, I don't think I can do that for Kukai and Nagihiko, since the interactions I have planned for them are so short that it can easily be squeezed into one chapter. (Depends on how much I end up writing.)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Nyan: Yeah. She is. If you want to know the episode number she appears in, it's episode 20.**

**

* * *

**

Amu paced back and forth in the living room. She was scared. She was anxious. She was desperate. She kept glancing at the phone sitting on the coffee table next to her.

"Would you stop doing that?" said Ikuto, getting dizzy from watching her going back and forth.

"I can't help it!" She ran her hands through her pink hair, distressed, "I'm scared to find out my results on the interview! What should I do if I don't get the job?! I'm going to live on the streets and have to hold out a bucket for people to throw money in!"

Ikuto raised an eyebrow at her behavior. He wasn't so sure if he should be amused or be concerned about how she was freaking out.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If you don't make it, then relax. It's not like the end of the world," he said.

Amu stared at him. Since when was he so nice?

"….Because you can always go for prostitution if it doesn't work out," he added with a smirk.

She picked up the cushion nearest to her and flung it right at him. So much for being nice.

Ikuto sighed as he caught the cushion in midair before it made contact, "It was just a suggestion."

"That was a completely hideous suggestion! What makes you think I want to do that?!"

His smirk grew wider, "You _really _want to know?"

She thought about it for a moment, "On second thought, I don't." He was definitely planning to say something dirty.

He made a face but turned away, placing an arm under his head like a pillow, "Can you go somewhere else to whine? I want some quiet."

Sighing, she looked out the window. He had a point. She shouldn't be worrying about it too much. What should she do to pass the time?

She thought about the mysterious dark book. It still creeped her out a little.

She went out of the lounge to the basement. Still as scary and ominous as usual. After slowly descending down the steps, she turned on the lights and found the book in its usual spot on the bookshelf. She took it out and flipped to the same page where she had read that eerie poem. It was still there. Not much had changed. Except….more text was added in below.

Amu instinctively shivered. This didn't make any sense. How did more text appear on the page out of thin air? The font and size of the text was exactly the same as the poem above it. Was this book cursed or something?

"_A fragile thread of fate entangles them all,_

_A demon hunter intrudes the realm of the paranormal,_

_Seeking for what she believes is rightfully her's_

_A girl is trampled by memories of the past,_

_The thin porcelain glass shattered into a million of pieces_

_While one person holds all that is dear close to her."_

Another puzzling poem. Only one line made sense to her. The "demon hunter" mentioned in the second line had to be Utau. But what did she have to do with any of this? She needed answers. For some reason, she was a little hesitant to ask Tsukasa about it. She was a little doubtful that he would give her a straight answer. There was one other adult she could talk about it to though.

Putting the book under her arm, Amu exited the basement and went to the front door. She put on her shoes, and was about to leave until a loud bark stopped her.

She turned around to see Akki staring up at her, wagging his tail.

She groaned in exasperation, "You want me to walk you again?" He bobbed his head up and down.

"Hinamori-san?"

"Tadase-kun!" The blonde boy stood in the hallway, carrying a duster in his hands.

"Are you going out?" he asked.

"Yeah, but…." She glanced at the expectant looking Akki, "I have to make a small detour." Then she had an idea, "Oh, Tadase-kun? Can you do me a favor?"

* * *

Tadase walked alongside Amu on the streets of Harima, holding onto Akki's leash. The two barely exchanged any words with each other, both of them keeping silent, lost in their own thoughts. Akki apparently didn't like the silence between them and kept nudging Amu, trying to make her say something.

"Oh! We're here!" They had reached Nobuko's shop.

Tadase looked up at the shop's sign, "Fortune telling?" There was a piece of paper taped on the front door. It read: "I have gone on a journey, please don't look for me." The pair simultaneously sweatdropped when they read the note. Just from that, they could tell she was still inside.

Amu bent down to pet Akki on the head, "You stay out here, okay? We won't take long." The dog sat down obediently while Tadase tied his leash to a lamp pole.

The wind chime tinkled when they swung open the door. But Nobuko wasn't at her usual place by the table. The giant chair that was before it was turned, its back facing them. Someone spoke from behind the chair.

"I told you, Nobuko Saeki is not here. She doesn't feel like seeing anyone today. And if you're wondering who I am, I am her….um…manager! Yeah, that's it! It's not like the great Nobuko Saeki is cowering behind this chair, eating miso peanuts to ease her sorrow!" A soft crunch was heard as she munched on one.

Amu simply walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder, "Saeki-sensei."

"Ah!" The chair turned around, revealing Nobuko clutching a jar of peanuts in her hands. Even though she was quite old, they could see there were more lines on her face than normal. "Begone evil spirit! I don't want anything to do with you! Isn't torturing me with endless nightmares enough for you?!"

Amu tried to calm her down, "Calm down. It's just me." She immediately ceased her yelling, fixing her spectacles, getting a better look at her.

"Oh, it's you kids," she said once she recognized them, "What do you want?"

Amu held up the black book, "I want to ask you about this."

Nobuko stubbornly turned her head away, "Nope. I don't want to answer any more of your questions. Maybe some other time, but not today."

Tadase tried to convince her, "Saeki-sensei, was it? Your job is to tell peoples' futures, right? And that includes answering peoples' questions. You're the only one we can turn to, Saeki-sensei." You could've sworn there were a dozen of sparkles shining off his face.

A faint blush appeared on the lady's face, "W-Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess I can make an exception."

He beamed at her, "Thank you, Saeki-sensei!" Amu wondered if he was doing all of that sweet talk on purpose.

"Hmph. Well, out with it! What do you want to ask?"

She placed the book on her table and flipped open to the page where the strange poem was, "It's this. This whole entire poem talks about events that I think is going to occur in the future. Two of them have already occurred from what I know."

Nobuko tapped the page in puzzlement, "This book….Does it have a title?" Amu shook her head in response. This made her face crease with worry, "If that's true, then this is definitely not some ordinary book."

"_Obviously," _the pinkette thought. "What do you mean?"

She pushed back her chair and went to the back to retrieve something. She came back, struggling to carry a large painting in her arms. With a loud grunt, she put the painting on her table for all of them to see. It was a painting of a group of people holding up their hands to the sky, which was filled with a lot of dark blobs with bright glowing eyes, and in the middle of them, was the very same book Amu had.

"Hundreds and hundreds of years ago," said Nobuko, "This town was once a village. There was a sufficient amount of crops produced for the people all year round, so they lived in prosperity. But then one day, a traveling monk came to tell them that dark things would come and eventually consume them all with their magic. Everyone laughed at him, believing he was telling a bunch of lies. Then one day, the sky became very dark, filled with a thousand of thunder clouds. Strange shapes descended from the sky, and the people feared that a curse was being put upon them."

"The next thing they knew they started seeing the silhouettes of their dead relatives, friends, and even their own lover, on the streets. The people tried to appease the dead with sacrifices, but it had little effect. One day, a tall dark shadow approached the people of the village, demanding for a book to be written for him."

"The people in the village chose the richest writer they had to write for him. The shadow told him to write him a book that would foretell future events and granted him the power of foresight. Many days passed by as the writer toiled in his home to write something that would please the strange creature. When he was finished, the shadow then casted a spell on the book so that the events could easily be rewritten by themselves as the years went by. The book was then given to the village's head priestess to watch over."

Amu frowned, "But wasn't it the 'shadow' that demanded for the book to be written in the first place? Why did he give it away?"

Nobuko shrugged, "Who knows? At first, many people feared the book and its powers. But when word spread of how it was able to foretell the future, many tried to steal the book and claim it for themselves. But when they opened the book, they saw many frightful future events that they always ran away once they claimed it."

"During that time, demons started to make their appearance. Apparently, the ghosts had lost their sanity from staying in the human realm too long. All of the priests and priestesses of the village tried to contact the leader of the ghosts about this, but no word came from the strange shadow for a long, long time."

"Many people then lost their patience with the priests and priestesses. A group of rebels then joined together and fought against the demons once they figured out that the demons were more prone to injury than the ghosts."

"And that's how demon hunters came to be," realized Amu.

"Correct. These rebels then demanded for the book to be burned, for they believed it was the cause of all of this. However, the head priestess was enraged by their request. She warned them that the supernatural beings were not creatures to be taken lightly. Rebellions started breaking out and one of the rebels managed to take away the book when the priestess wasn't looking. No matter what they did however, the book would not burn away into ashes."

"The very next day, the head priestess was found dead, many believing that the great shadow had found out about the burning of the book and killed her for punishment. Her supporters and family members blamed the rebels for this tragic event and dedicated themselves to the art of purification and exorcism, soothing many demons within the village."

"They became the past versions of the exorcists," muttered Tadase.

Nobuko nodded, "Precisely. The rebels and the priestess' supporters became demon hunters and exorcists respectively, both groups spreading their teachings through the generations. No one knew what happened to the book after that, for it simply faded from history, with no more records about it."

"So that's why the book can tell the future….But who's this 'shadow'? And why were ghosts brought to this town in the first place?"

"I think I can answer that," said Tadase, "These are just my assumptions from what I've heard in the spirit world and the facts I know, but I'm pretty sure that the 'shadow' was the Phantom Lord. He doesn't always appear as a shadow though. When I first met him, he wore a mask over his face and had a long black cape. The person who takes the identity of the Phantom Lord differs from generation to generation. As for why ghosts are here, I don't know. Kairi believes that the ghosts were attracted to something sacred within this town and were drawn to it by its power. His other theory was that there may be more to the legend than we realize."

"Hmm……" That was plausible. If the story was passed down orally or some of the records of the story were lost, than it was possible the truth was not entirely there.

* * *

"We're home!"

Akki ran ahead the second Tadase took the leash off his collar. The two then went to the lounge to be greeted by Kukai and Nagihiko.

Kukai held up his hand in greeting, "Welcome back." Before she could greet him back, the phone behind him rang loudly.

"I'll get it," said Nagihiko. He held up the phone to his ear, "Hello?...Yeah. She's here." He handed the phone over to Amu, "It's for you."

"Who is it?" she said into the receiver.

"_Hinamori-san? This is Sion. I'm just here to tell you that you got the job."_

"Really?!" A great joy fluttered up inside her. She did it!

"_Yeah! Good job on getting it! I look forward to working with you!" _She hung up, beyond happy.

"Good for you, Hinamori-san," Tadase congratulated her. She smiled at him, pleased. She failed to notice how his body was slightly flickering in the light, almost as if it was changing shape.

She wasn't so sure what compelled her to do what had happened next. Maybe it was because she was so overwhelmed with joy that she didn't give a second thought about her actions. But she suddenly embraced him, wrapping her arms around his neck. When her brain finally registered what she had done, she hastily pulled her arms away.

"I-I'm sorry!" she apologized frantically, "I didn't meant to do that! I don't know what came over me! I-Huh?" She noticed that he wasn't quite as transparent looking as he usually looked. He was still a pale color, but he looked…..solid.

Just as suddenly, he went back to his transparent look, and his ruby red eyes blinked at her, shocked by what he had just experienced. Both Nagihiko and Kukai immediately rushed to his side.

"Are you okay, Tadase?"

"Hey, what happened? It was like….POOF! You were human!"

As they continued to pester him with questions, Amu looked down at her hands. She was certain of it now. Something was going to happen. Something that involved the ghosts. And just might permanently affect her relationship with them forever.

* * *

**This chapter had so much info and plot spoilers that it turned out longer than my usual chapter length. And yeah, there's another stanza/poem for you guys to take guesses at. They're really not that hard. It's just the matter of process of elimination, remembering certain parts of this story, noticing the arrangement of the poem, and knowing the meaning of some of the vocab I throw in there.**


	24. Chapter 24

**LaharlCrazy1120: Yes. She's connected to all of them in some way, whether as a friend, had a crush on one of them, or only knew them indirectly.**

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* * *

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The mailman went up to the lone mansion of the Hinamori family. He gulped nervously, staring up at the large, intimidating house before him. The ivy vines that covered the brick walls still weren't taken off. Even though the colorful flowers and the water fountain brightened up the atmosphere, the house still didn't fail at sending chills up his spine. He was given the task of delivering mail to the mansion that was rumored to be cursed or haunted by evil spirits. It certainly didn't help that there were rumors that this house once belonged to an exorcist and was once a hideout for a couple of demon hunters. It usually worked if he just hastily put the mail in the mailbox and ran away as fast as he could.

But now he was too chicken to do anything. Taking in a deep breath, he took the envelope out of his bag and went over to lift up the flap of the black mailbox.

"Hi there."

He looked up to see a man dressed up in a blue suit, smiling at him politely.

"AAAHHH!!!!" he screamed hysterically as he ran down the path, dropping the envelope that he was meant to deliver, "IT'S A GHOST!!!"

"Honestly. How many times must I tell you? You can't scare people at the entrance like that."

Amu was standing behind him, crossing her arms over her chest, "At this point, the post office won't send anybody over to deliver our mail."

Tsukasa rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry. It's disrespectful though. I've been in this town for so long that people should instantly recognize my face."

"Well if you just pop up out of nowhere, of course people won't recognize you. They'll be too scared to realize it." Amu walked over to the gate and bent down to pick up the envelope the mailman had dropped, "What's this? For….me?" She ripped open the envelope and took out the paper that was inside.

"What is it?" asked Tsukasa.

"It's…It's…..It's my paycheck!" She waved the piece of paper in his face, "I finally got it!" A few days had passed with her working as a waitress at "Western Bar", the name of the restaurant she worked at. It limited the amount of time she got to spend with her friends, but it was worth it. She earned a reasonable sum of money, had a nice boss, and got to listen to the great Sion's piano scores.

She sighed dreamily, "With this much, I'll finally be able to get a swimsuit." Then her shoulders slumped, suddenly silent and gave off a depressive aura.

Tsukasa frowned, "Something wrong, Hinamori-san?"

She shook her head furiously, "No. Nothing's wrong."

"Yo, Hinamori!"

Kukai was poking his head out of the upper floor window. "I have a favor to ask you. Wait right there, okay? I'll come down in a sec." He withdrew his head back inside and Amu could hear the distant sound of the windows being shut.

* * *

"Well, what is it?"

He smiled sheepishly, "It's really nothing all that big. I just want to know if there's a pool you can take me to. Since we're going to the beach, I thought it would be nice if I saw a large body of water so I can get feel of what it is like."

She hesitated, thinking about it, "….You promise you won't be too loud?"

"Sure! Trust me. You won't hear single peep out of me."

She sighed, "Fine then." She turned to Tsukasa, "Let me know when dinner is ready, okay?"

* * *

Amu lead Kukai to her school grounds, only a few students talking to each other on the campus. It was still afterschool, so they were allowed entry into to the far back of the field her school used for the sports teams. A large pool was there, its waters still a bright clear blue. It looked like there was no one here and judging by the distance it was from the school; nobody would catch them here.

Amu gestured to the swimming pool, "Here you have it. But the beach will be much larger than this."

Kukai bent down, reaching out to touch the water. No ripples appeared when he moved his hand down into the watery depths. He pulled out his hand, still dry. Amu sat down next to him, staring at her own reflection in the water. Kukai had no reflection, for the spot next to her had no one.

"Why don't you have a swimsuit?" he suddenly asked after a few minutes of silence passed, "Not to be sexist or anything, but I thought most girls would have at least one at your age."

Amu leaned back, her head facing the sky. White, fluffy clouds passed overhead, continuing to go off to other parts of the vast world she was in.

"I think it's because I nearly drowned at the beach one time," she replied after a moment's thought, "I just foolishly charged into the water, and then ended up drowning."

"Did the lifeguard save you in time?"

"It wasn't the lifeguard who saved me. It was…." Her eyebrows scrunched together as she struggled to remember who it was.

"Well, don't think about it too much. The only thing that's important is you're alive now, right?" He got up, "Come on. I'll teach you how to swim."

She blinked, taken back by his request, "Really?"

"Of course! It's very simple. First, we need to exercise your breathing. Take a deep breath." She took in a gulp of air. He shook his head, "Breathe in through your nose, not your mouth." She tried again, succeeding this time. "Good! You're getting the hang of it! Now let's try kicking. Take off your shoes." She took them off, including her socks, placing them by the side. She dipped her feet into the water, instantly shivering at the water's frigid temperature. "Kick your feet, but make sure that you see a lot of white foam as you kick." She kicked as hard as she could, white foam bubbling on the surface. "That's it! Keep kicking!"

As she was practicing her kicking, Amu decided to ask him something, "Kukai."

"What?"

"How did you become part of the Paranormal Attendants?" she asked him.

He thought about it for a moment, his gaze directed at the sky, "I remember waking up in the spirit world, with no clothes on and had no clue where I was. I had no memory. I didn't even remember my own name. Someone approached me, calling himself the Phantom Lord, told me who I was, and that I had to follow him. At the same time, he talked to me about how I was a being of the dead and had to serve a human in order to be freed of my last regrets."

"He made me take some kind of test. It really was just doing a couple of activities and being asked a couple of weird questions."

"After that, he gave a pair of clothes to wear and brought me to a couple of other ghosts. They were Ikuto, Nagihiko, Tadase, and Kairi. I met Kairi first. He was pretty blunt and straightforward, and addressed me as 'sempai' because of my rank. He looked a little sad though, as if he didn't like being in the spirit world."

"Then I met Tadase. He was just like me, lost and was just going along with everything the Phantom Lord said. Though he did once told me that he felt like he didn't belong in the spirit world. He was very polite and we became friends immediately."

"Nagihiko was like that too. He talked politely and acted like a gentleman. But….I could tell there was something wrong with him. His smile, his actions, they all seemed strained, as if he was forced to do this. He also looked a little worn out, and I'm sure it wasn't because of the test he had to take."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. He said he couldn't remember."

"What was Ikuto like?"

"He was a pretty laid-back guy and generally didn't have a care in the world. One thing I could tell was that he didn't like the Phantom Lord one bit. Don't know what's that about. After all of the introductions were done, we were sent to the human world in a flash. When we came to, we were greeted by your grandparents."

"My grandparents?"

"They were pretty nice. They didn't freak out like you did."

Amu's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "Of course I did! How would you feel if you find five guys in your bedroom?!"

"Hey, who's there?!" They saw a teacher all the way back at the track field. Someone had spotted them by the pool, "It's past 4:30 already! The school grounds are off limits!"

"Crap!" Amu swore, "They caught us!"

A sly grin made way to Kukai's face, "Not for long, they won't." He suddenly swooped up Amu in his arms and ran off.

She tried to stop him, "Kukai! What are you-"She was cut off when he leaped over the fence by the pool. The teacher that was chasing after them now stared in shock, stunned by such a stunt. When they were finally a good distance away from the school grounds, Amu abruptly fell to the ground, landing hard on her rear end.

"Ow….." she groaned. She glared up at him, "What was that for?!"

"I didn't drop you on purpose!" he protested, "You just slipped out of my arms without a warning!"

She realized something, "Wait a minute….how did you carry me if you are a ghost?"

He inspected his arms, turning them over, "I don't know. I just acted on impulse."

"It's been happening a lot lately….." she muttered. Why did it started now? Even that mysterious book gave no heads up on something like this happening.

"Do you remember what usually happens before we become 'human'?" he asked her.

She frowned, trying to remember. It usually just happened right before she took notice of it. She had some kind of feeling inside of her then. It bubbled up within her heart, filling her with a light-hearted and content feeling. She wasn't exactly so sure what it was. But she felt it before whenever her mother comforted her when she got frightened by the scary stories people talked about in Harima. It was…..

"Hinamori-san! Kukai!"

They looked up to see Tadase running over to them, "I got worried so I came over. What took you so long?"

"We got caught," Kukai replied, casually crossing his arms behind his head.

Tadase sweatdropped, "Why are you acting like it's something normal?" Amu followed them as they walked back to the house.

"_But it can't be," _she thought, _"I don't feel like….there's anything different between us during the past few weeks."_

_

* * *

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**A more shorter chapter and a lot less foreshadowing. Next is our resident trap. **

**And thank you to those readers who have been complimenting my story. I'm glad so many of you like it. ^ ^ I'm kind of surprised, since this is my first fanfic and the first time I have written anything supernatural. To be honest, the original idea didn't include a lot of suspense and mystery like it does now. I just got inspired from some anime series and decided to add more suspense as the story went along. Can't say I'm upset with that decision, since I like it and the story has become more complex.**


	25. Chapter 25

In the town of Harima, light raindrops drizzled down on the small town. People walked around with their umbrellas, holding it high above their heads. Small children splashed around in puddles of water, their mothers scowling at them for playing around. People in their homes stared out the window, looking at the grey clouds overhead. They would then mutter to themselves about how glum it looked outside and what a shame it was to be out in the rain. Couples would walk together under a single umbrella, trying to keep each other dry.

The Hinamori mansion was affected by the dull weather as well. Giant, wet dewdrops formed on the flowers' petals and leaves. The water fountain was turned off, for the fear of the rain water over flooding the fountain. Drops of water dripped down from the ivy leaves on the beige brick walls of the mansion. The rain struck loudly against the glass pane of each window. An amber-eyed boy with long locks of violet hair looked out of one of the house's windows. His delicate and pale fingers resting on the glass.

"It's raining pretty hard…." he mumbled to himself. His gaze was then directed at the horizon, gazing at one particular building with peach-colored brick walls and had one large tree that stood in the front of it.

Silently, he turned his head and walked away.

* * *

One raindrop landed on Amu's open palm when she held out her hand to check if it was raining. It was afterschool now, many of the students now leaving for home. Yaya was with her, whining about how the rain ruined her plans for the afternoon.

"This sucks," she complained, "Yaya wanted to go take Tsubasa-kun out for a little bit." She took her umbrella and opened it, stepping out into the rain. "Are you sure you want to stay here?" she asked Amu, "Yaya can just walk you home you know."

The pinkette shook her head, "No thanks. I can just call my house and see if anyone would pick me up."

"In that case, you should wait at the baseball field. They have a dugout there and it's pretty dry. They should still let you in." Yaya put her umbrella over her head and waved goodbye, "See ya!"

Amu waved back as she watched her friend leave the campus and disappeared from sight. She once again held out her hand to check the rain. It was only a slight drizzle. She should be fine.

Taking in a deep breath, she sped off, running across the campus to the sports field. The gate to the baseball field was swung open, its hinges creaking from the amount of rainwater. The sandy ground of the baseball field was now all slushy and wet from the rain. She stopped when she saw a couple of people there. A girl with long butterscotch curls sat at on a bench inside of the dugout. Was that Mashiro-san? She squinted, trying to get a better look. The small blonde girl was surrounded by a bunch of boys, assumedly all of her "servants", as Rima liked to put it.

"Please, Mashiro-san! I can walk you home! I have an umbrella!" the boy pleaded. He was trying to persuade her to walk with him under his umbrella. Even from a distance, Amu could see that she was getting irritated by his persistency.

"I told you, my parents are picking me up. I don't need you to walk me home," she said. Was it just her imagination or did Rima's voice sounded a little sharper than necessary?

"Come on. My parents are going to kill me if I'm late," one of the boys whined.

"Mashiro-san can do whatever she wants, right?" another boy pointed out, "Just leave her be."

The boys left, some of them looking dejected, as they listened to their friends' conversations. Amu was amazed by how they never gave up in trying to win Rima over. If she were them, she would've given up immediately after she was rejected. But that kind of willpower was kind of admirable, she guessed.

"Uh….Hi, Mashiro-san!" she greeted her cheerfully. Rima looked up at the sound of her voice and glared in her direction.

"Stop greeting me like we're friends. Because we're not," she said. Amu felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks. So much for trying to be friendly.

Walking up very slowly, Amu took a seat next to her. Rima didn't say anything, keeping silent. The gag manga that Rima usually carried around was right on her lap.

"Umm……" Rima did not respond.

"……So I heard that basketball practice was canceled!" said Amu. She mentally slapped herself. What was she thinking?! That was no way in starting a conversation!

"So? I hate basketball." Ouch. Why did she keep getting crushed every time she tried to befriend this girl? Wait. Rima hated basketball. Friends knew about each other's dislikes and likes, right? So she must be off to a good start!

"Why?"

"None of your business," she replied bluntly. Rejected again….

RING! RING! Amu's cellphone rang loudly in her pocket. Taking it out, she looked at the caller ID. From her house? She placed her phone by her ear.

"Hello?"

Nagihiko's voice came from the other end of the phone, _"Amu-chan? Is that you?" _

"Y-Yeah," she answered, relieved. She was saved!

"Who are you talking to?" Rima asked, suddenly interested.

"Oh, Na-"She stopped. If Rima was an exorcist, then what would she do if she find out that she was living with five ghosts? She thought back to when Rima defeated the demon at the hospital. Would she send them back to the spirit world like she did with that demon? An image crossed her mind of the ghosts being sucked into a giant black hole with Rima watching over them, cackling evilly.

"Na?" For some odd reason, just the way she was staring at her coolly made her even more scared.

"_Amu-chan? Who are you talking to? Are you in danger?" _asked Nagihiko. Amu didn't answer, for she felt as if she was being cornered, her back against the wall. Her mind searched desperately for some kind of excuse.

"Na…..Na….Nakamura!" she exclaimed.

Both Rima and Nagihiko remained silent for a very long time. Rima's facial expression clearly reading that she didn't expected that kind of response, while Nagihiko was just at a loss for words.

"Isn't Nakamura a stage name?" they both asked at the same time.

Ignoring their question, Amu went on to say, "W-Well, I don't want to take up anymore of your time, so I'll be going now!" She stood up quickly and tried to walk away until Rima stopped her.

"Aren't you going to catch a cold if you wait out in the rain?"

"No. I'm just fine," she said stiffly. She really, really needed to be alone right now. She didn't think she could take anymore of Rima's interrogation.

"Fine. But I have a warning for you, Hinamori." Rima stared at Amu sharply, "Even though you are only a newcomer here, the same cycle of pain and tragedy in Harima will affect you as well. I suggest for you to avoid having anything to do with the paranormal." She finished talking and stared at the basketball court across the baseball field.

* * *

"What was that about?"

Nagihiko had found Amu standing by the large tree at the school campus, trying to keep herself dry. He had brought her an umbrella, much to her gratitude. Thankfully, most of the tree's leaves and branches had blocked out the rain, so she wasn't soaking wet right now.

"It's a long story," she replied. She figured that if any of the ghosts found out just how close an exorcist was to finding out about them, it would cause them to worry and panic, which she didn't want to happen. She had already kept her word to Kairi that she won't tell anyone about them.

Wanting to change the topic, she said, "The rain is really pouring down. At this rate, it might rain on the day we go to the beach."

Nagihiko shook his head, "No. The weather forecast said that it'll be sunny during the weekends."

"The weather forecast can be wrong though," she pointed out, "Speaking of which, I have to get my swimsuit. You don't mind, do you?"

When he said "no", Amu went to the nearest clothing store with Nagihiko following her. The long-haired boy noticed a bucket of bamboo stalks in the corner. He also noticed that the store had shelves that were displaying stacks of bright and colorful paper.

"What are those for?" he asked.

"I think those are decorations for the Tanabata festival," Amu said when she saw them, "Kind of odd that they're selling those so early."

"The Tanabata festival….That's the holiday that happens once a year, right?"

Amu started searching through a rack of swimsuits, trying to find one that would suit her tastes, "Yep. Once a year, the two stars, Orihime and Hikoboshi, meet each other at the Milky Way. Hopefully it doesn't rain on that day. Orihime and Hikoboshi won't be able to see each other then…Or at least, according to legend." Nagihiko bent down, staring at the two paper stars that hung from the bamboo stalks. His amber eyes were unreadable, deep and thoughtful. He unconsciously placed his two fingers between the stars, measuring the distance between them. They were about two inches apart.

"Even though they don't look that far apart, they can still be so far away from each other…"

"Hm? Nagihiko, did you say something?"

"It's nothing," he said quickly, "Don't worry about it."

"Oh...." Amu directed her attention back to the rack of swimsuits. Now that she thought about it, Nagihiko always put other people's problems before his. It made her feel a little left out of what was going on in his mind.

"What do you mean that you can't pick her up?!"

They both looked up at the sound of a woman talking loudly into her cellphone. She had short brown hair and looked to be about in her mid-30's. They could see the weary lines on her face but there was one facial trait about her that caught Amu's interest the most. Her eyes. They were a shade of honey, even though it wasn't exactly the same clear, rich, and sweet color, her eyes were almost the same as….

"I had to pick up a package from one of my co-workers!" the woman shouted into her phone, "What?! It's your day to pick her up! You can't just leave her out in the rain! She's going to catch a cold! What if that happens again?!....Hello? Hello?" Letting out a frustrated sigh, she closed her cellphone and bowed her head in apology to the store clerk, "Excuse me. I have some business to attend to." She walked out of the store, many of the customers staring after her in confusion.

"What's that woman's problem?" Amu muttered. She didn't have to cause a scene in a middle of a store.

Nagihiko said nothing, staring after the woman with a frown on his face, his amber eyes filled with concern. That woman's angry shouts had struck something within him. A faint memory that eventually faded away when he tried to grab hold of it.

* * *

Tsukasa was in his bedroom, sipping from a cup of tea. Due to the rain, he had moved his table and chair from the porch to the inside, so he still can relax and have a cup of tea even on rainy days. He looked outside his porch window, staring at the grey clouds in the sky. He wasn't particularly fond of rain. It blocked out the sight of the stars at night and gave him the tedious task of wiping his table and chair until it was completely dry for him to use.

He placed his cup back on its saucer, looking at an object on the other side of the table. It was a dark-colored book with a red diamond shape on the cover. Reaching over to grab it, he took the book and placed it on his lap. He flipped to a page, reading the new stanza that had formed.

"A story of two is given a second chance," he read out loud, "For the previous version had ended in tragedy. Whether or not this new version will have a happy ending, none can predict, for its an answer that is not even seen in the stars. But by the time one of them has realized it, it will all be far too late, and the other star will be far out of sight."

Tsukasa took out two yellow paper stars from his pocket. Each was carefully made and folded, the points all at an even side. He took one and crumbled it into a small paper ball. He turned to the chess board that he had placed on the table. One piece was already out of the game. The white knight stood at the sidelines, still holding his head up proudly despite defeat. He picked up the black bishop, stroking it fondly, and made it switch places with the white bishop. He then threw the crumbled up star at a white pawn, and it fell off the board, taken down.

* * *

**For those who don't know, the Tanabata festival is the celebration of when the two stars, Vega and Altair, are close to each other at the Milky Way. There's a legend that talks about the two stars being lovers, Orihime being Vega, and Hikoboshi being Altair. They are separated by a river that Orihime's father created, the Milky Way, and are allowed to meet each other once a year. If it rains on that day, then they have to wait for another year to see each other again.**

**I wanted the Rima part to be short but the conversation turned out longer than I thought. Ah well. Their relationship is slowly getting better.**


	26. Chapter 26

Amu checked the contents of her striped tote bag. She had two towels, a pair of sandals, her swimsuit, and a water bottle. Satisfied, she pulled back her pink hair and tied it up into a ponytail with a hairband. She then slipped on a pink bracelet on her wrist.

"Sis! Are you done yet? Everyone else is ready!" Ami cried out to her.

"Yeah! I'm coming!" She slung her tote bag over her shoulder and hurried downstairs. Ami was already done, carrying her cat-like backpack. Akki was next to her, wagging his tail.

"Ready?" she asked them. Ami nodded while Akki barked in response. Both Amu and Ami put on their shoes and went out the front door. They were greeted with the sight of all of the ghosts trying to pack themselves in the back seat of Tsukasa's car.

"Hey, move it!" Kukai shouted.

"I'm being squashed…." Ikuto complained.

"This is a five-people car," said Nagihiko, "Not all of us will fit in here."

"So will one of us have to stay behind?" asked Tadase.

Kairi twitched, the only one not arguing over who should sit in the car and who should stay behind. Deciding that it was time to take charge, he coughed loudly, getting all of his fellow ghosts' attention.

"All of you seem to be forgetting something….."

"What?"

Taking in a deep breath, he told them as calmly as he could, "We can fly."

* * *

In the end, two people were decided to fly next to the car instead of sitting with them in the car. Kukai, because he had volunteered, and Ikuto, because he claimed to suffer from motion sickness. Even though they were less people now, that still left the problem of not having enough space for Ami and Amu to sit. None of the three remaining ghosts were willing to give up the chance of enjoying a relaxing drive.

Nagihiko and Tadase were currently engaged in a battle of who will get kicked out of the car and be forced to fly.

Tadase spoke with an air of politeness, surrounded with a dozen of bright sparkles, "I trust in your capabilities, Nagihiko. I believe in you."

Nagihiko spoke back to him just as politely, an ever-so pleasant smile on his face, "No, Tadase. I think you should join Kukai and Ikuto. Please. I insist."

"_What is this? A battle to see who has the most sparkles?" _Amu thought with a sigh. Ami even wore a pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes.

Kairi stepped in between the two of them, "Stop it. I don't like flying just as much as you two, but it doesn't mean we squabble over it like a bunch of spoiled children. Consider your embarrassing behavior before our Ojou-sama. If it makes the two of you happy, then I'll sit in the back compartment."

His decision immediately made the pair feel guilty.

"You don't have to….." said Tadase, ashamed by his earlier behavior, "We were just being silly, you don't have to go that far just because of that."

Nagihiko shook his head, "No. Kairi has the most sense of direction out of all of us, so we need him in the car. Besides, once he makes his decision, there's no stopping him."

After Tsukasa finished putting everything in the back of the car, everyone took their seats. Ami sat in the back with Nagihiko and Tadase. Akki was on Tadase's lap, sticking his head out of the window. He didn't seem to mind the proximity between him and the ghost. Kairi was behind them, reading a map he received from Tsukasa. Amu sat right next to the driver's seat, placing two large bags beside her feet.

Tsukasa noticed this, "You know you could just put them in the back with Kairi. He doesn't mind."

"Nah. I don't want to make him more uncomfortable than he already is." She made sure that her bags were secure and didn't fell over to the side. Tsukasa started the engine and pressed the gas pedal. The car took off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Then, Amu noticed something.

"Hey, where are Kukai and Ikuto? Aren't they supposed to be flying right next to us?"

"I have a pretty good idea where they are," said Nagihiko.

"Where?"

He motioned his hand to the top of the car.

"Ahh….This is such a nice breeze," Kukai said as he let out a deep sigh. Ikuto yawned and rested his head in his arms.

* * *

"Now you turn to the right," Kairi instructed Tsukasa. An hour had passed with them in the car. They were already well out of the vicinities of Harima town. They were currently approaching a fork in the road.

He got confused, "Which way is my right?"

Kairi pointed to one path, "That way….Wait! Not that right, the other right!"

"What?" Amidst the confusion, Tsukasa tried to turn the car back the right way, causing the car to swerve wildly.

"AAHHHH!!!!" they all screamed. The car struck a tree trunk, all of them lurching forward from the impact. Luckily for most of them, they had seatbelts on to pull them back. (Kairi clutched onto the back of Ami's seat for support while she held onto Akki so he didn't fell off.) Unfortunately for Kukai and Ikuto, they tumbled off the top of the car, landing faceflat on the ground.

"….Can you guys stop staring and give us a hand here?" asked Kukai as he struggled to rise himself up from the ground.

"You never told us what kind of beach we're going to, Tsukasa-san," Tadase said to the man.

"Don't worry. It's not a public beach so you guys are safe." The car made a turn, giving them the look of the scenery.

White sand stretched between two large moss-covered rocks. A wooden port was built at the corner of the beach. The tide gently went in and out of the shore. Seagulls cried out loudly, flying high into the sky. Beyond one of the rocks, they could see a large bluff, overlooking the sea, with a cave entrance carved into the side of it. A pathway of rocks leading to the cave's entrance.

Tsukasa stopped the car, reaching a dead end. Trees and patches of grass grew on the end of the wide road.

Kukai jumped off the car, amazed by the sight, "Wow. It's bigger than I imagined." Ikuto joined him, stretching out his arms. When Tadase opened the door, both Ami and Akki were the first to rush out.

"The air here is so refreshing!" she said when she took in the salty sea air. Akki lifted his snout to the direction of the wind, sniffing it warily. All of the ghosts went to the back to help Tsukasa with unpacking the stuff.

"Hey, what's this for?" Kukai asked when he took out a pair of water skis.

"Those are for you guys to use," answered Tsukasa, "I found them in a closet somewhere in the mansion. It should be good enough for use."

Kukai grinned widely, having an idea. He called out to Amu, "Hinamori!"

"What?"

He held up the water skis for her to see, "Want to go water skiing?"

She frowned, "But don't we have to have a bo-"Then she realized what he was planning to do. "Oh no. You are not going to drag me around like befooorre!!!" Kukai grabbed her hand and dragged her to shore. He started tying the cable around his waist. She tried to talk some sense into him.

"Listen, Kukai. I can't even swim, let alone water ski." Despite her protests, before she was even aware of it, her feet were fastened onto the skis and she was holding onto the handle attached to the cable.

"How did I got myself into this mess?" she asked herself out loud with a sigh. Kukai was floating in midair, hopping from foot to foot, ready for takeoff.

"Ready…set….go!" he shouted as he sprung off his feet, shooting himself through the air like a rocket. Amu struggled to hold on, almost felling off from the sheer force of Kukai's sudden burst of speed. Fear seized her heart, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. The waves seemed to swallow her up, water forcefully making their way down her windpipe.

"What are you doing? Just enjoy the ride!"

Hesitantly, Amu slowly opened her eyes, praying that she didn't fall off or got wet. Instead, a gust of sea air blew past her face, making her pink locks of hair dance in the wind. A seagull flew past her, flapping its wings ever so slightly. She felt as if she was soaring, like a small chick that had finally made its first flight. Kukai turned, taking them back to shore. They went past the bluff, Amu noticing that Ami and Akki were there. She called out to Kukai for him to stop, and he landed on top of a moss-covered boulder.

Amu immediately ran over to them, "Ami, what are you up to?! You should be at the beach!"

"There's something in there, sis!" said Ami, "It's this weird building!"

"Building?" Amu peered into the cave entrance, trying to make out what was inside.

Sure enough, there was some sort of small building inside. She took a step closer, trying to get a better look. As the building slowly came into view, she saw that it was a shrine, the wooden frame damp from the salty sea air.

"_Who's there?"_

"Hm? Did you say something, Ami?"

Her little sister shook her head, "No. I didn't say anything." Akki suddenly crouched down, growling. "Huh? Akki, what's wrong?"

The ground beneath their feet started to shake; a low rumble came from within the shrine. Bright lights started to flash before their eyes. A burst of light filled the room, slowly taking shape. The light surrounding it now looked like rings of occult glyphs. Wait…Didn't Amu saw those things before? She recalled that Rima had the same thing when she attacked the demon at the hospital. But these were humongous compared to her's…

The shape of a woman emerged from the light. She wore a shrine maiden robe and had a bracelet made up of glass beads around her wrist. She was short for her age, only a few inches taller than Amu. When the flashing ceased, Amu was taken back by the color of her hair and her eyes. Her curls were the color of creamy butterscotch and her eyes were a rich and sweet honey color.

"M-Mashiro-san?!"

* * *

**Now that we are so close to 30 chapters, I'm positive that this story will take up more than 50 chapters. I'm going to try make my chapters longer than they were before, since I don't like my stories to come out very long. At this rate, some questions will be left unanswered and there may even be a possibility for a sequel.**

**I'm just curious: What theories do you guys have about my story? Like the characters' pasts, how the ghosts died, who the Phantom Lord is, the prophecies, stuff like that.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A lot of people either got their theories right on the mark, completely wrong, or almost there, but not quite.**

**Credit for the beach idea goes to vampire-kitty-chic. (Sorry for not mentioning you in the previous chapter. It was such a long time ago that you suggested that idea to me that it kind of slipped from my mind. ^ ^;)**

**

* * *

**

Amu was confused. What just happened? And why did Rima appear out of the shrine?

"M-Mashiro-san?"

The woman frowned, "I don't know this Mashiro you are talking about. I am Reiki Chiyoko. Call me Chiyoko-san if you want."

"Stop kidding around, Mashiro-san. No matter what you say, you look too much like the Rima Mashiro I know."

"I see. So she's the one….." The woman started muttering to herself about something.

"What do you mean?"

"……Never mind. Is this Rima Mashiro you speak of here with you?" 'Reiki' asked her.

"No." Now that she got a better look, this woman couldn't be Rima. Even though her eyes were as impenetrable as Rima's and had the same indifferent attitude, her matter of speech and how she was addressing her couldn't make this woman Rima.

She made a face, "Pity. So I just came out to meet some human who doesn't share the same blood as me?"

"Um….Duh?" What was this woman talking about? And of course she's human. What else could she be?

Reiki sat on top of the shrine's roof, the lights flying around her eagerly, "Oh well. Might as well tell you what I came out for. You've heard of Harima's legend, right? It's said that the shadow, otherwise known as the Phantom Lord, still lurks in that miserable town, keeping a close eye on all and making sure his fellow ghosts don't misbehave. Let me warn you, the Phantom Lord is not who you think he is."

"What?"

Her face was serious, "The Phantom Lord can take on any form. He can be the man you pass by on the street, the local shopkeeper, your best friend, the teacher at your school, or he may even take on the form of a woman for all I know. Anyway, I'm not telling you not to trust anyone but make sure you never fall for one of his traps."

"Mashiro-san told me once that I'll be trapped in the cycle of pain and sadness in Harima."

"She's right. Actually, I won't be surprised if your friend is already caught in that web."

A loud boom echoed from the cave's entrance. The sound made Amu and Ami jump in fright.

"What was that?!"

Without even an uttering a single word, one of the lights next to Reiki flew straight at the entrance, only to be stopped by a growling Akki.

"Get out of my way," she ordered, clearly pissed that the dog had stopped her from slicing someone in half. The dog only growled in response. He barked loudly at her, not moving a single inch from his position.

Ami tried to calm him down, scared that he might anger the shrine maiden, "Akki, stop it! She's going to cut you down!" Akki bared his teeth, barking some more. It was as if he was talking to the woman draped in a miko-like robe.

The anger in Reiki's eyes melted away, a strange sympathetic expression coming over her face, "I see. So that's how it is…." Amu noticed that she was slowly fading away, her shape losing form. Reiki sighed, "Fine. I'll make an exception this time." Akki wagged his tail, pleased.

The woman glanced at them, and her eyes widened in surprise, "That necklace…." She was pointing to the necklace with a golden crescent around Ami's neck. She floated down from her perch at the shrine, getting a closer look, "…..Don't lose it. Whatever you do, don't lose it. It will come to your aid in your time of need. Plus…." She then looked right at Amu, "I have a feeling that you are going to need it the most."

Amu was confused, "Huh? Why me?"

The woman smiled at her sadly, "If you ever meet this Mashiro girl, tell her….that she can't run away from the duty she has to fulfill." The second she uttered those words, she disappeared, now nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Amu fidgeted with the necklace Ami had given her. She had insisted on her wearing it, since that woman had said she needed it. But why would she need it? The last time she had it, she blacked out, and couldn't remember what she had done.

She sat on top of a rock, away from the others. She needed some space to think. She couldn't tell the others about it. The woman had an air of an exorcist about her and that would surely worry them.

She sighed, "I don't know what to do. My head hurts. What makes me so special? I didn't ask for any of this."

"What? You have hyperthermia?"

She looked up to see Ikuto, his hands casually placed in his pockets. He was staring at her with rather intense concentration, making her uncomfortable.

"W-What?"

He gave a disappointed sigh, "You're not wearing a two piece……"

"Of course I am! I picked this out with Nagihiko's advice." She wore a simple pink and purple bathing suit with a flowery design on it.

He sat down next to her, "You should've brought me along when you went shopping for a swimsuit then."

"That's because I know you are going to pick out some skimpy outfit. Besides, I trust Nagihiko."

"……." He became strangely silent, not even making a single infuriating comment.

"What's wrong? You became quiet all of the sudden. Cat got your tongue?"

"…..Did you go into that cave?" he asked suddenly.

"You mean the one by the rocks? Yeah."

"Did anything happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because when we tried to go in, a barrier blocked us."

"Huh? What barrier? There was no barrier." She remembered that the cave entrance was completely open, with nothing blocking it. She, Ami, and Akki had entered that cave just fine. Was it maybe because that Reiki woman was an exorcist and purposefully set up a barrier against ghosts?

"Even when that girly boy tried attacking it, the barrier didn't budge." So that was what the sound was. Nagihiko was trying to break through the barrier, but it didn't work. Reiki knew that there were ghosts outside and got pissed that they were trying to go inside. If it weren't for Akki, she would've sliced them all down.

Suddenly, a loud blast of water shot up from behind Amu. Ikuto swiftly knocked her aside with a transparent cat paw.

"Ow!" Amu landed hard on the rocky ground. She got up to scowl at him but she stopped when she saw what he was facing.

The large tidal wave halted, taking shape. A scaly creature with fins growing out of the sides of its head emerged from the water, opening its mouth to let out a loud belch.

Amu wrinkled her nose at the scent. And she was sure that wasn't just the salty sea air she was breathing in.

"WHERE'S THE PRIESTESS?!" it screeched horribly, "TAKE ME TO HER!"

Ikuto flexed the claws on his cat paw, "That's a new one. We have a demon that can actually speak and looks like a merman."

"BRING ME THE PRIESTESS!!!!" The monster lurched forward, trying to tackle into Ikuto. But the young man simply stepped aside, the monster's head striking hard against the rocky terrain. It screamed in agony, briefly clutching its head in its hands. Then it noticed Amu, who instantly tried to make herself look smaller.

"PRIESTESS!!"

"Uh…..I think you got the wrong girl. I'm not a priestess," said Amu. But the demon didn't pay any attention to her, convinced that Amu was the priestess it was looking for. It lifted a scaly hand and snatched Amu away before Ikuto could react. The demon retreated into water, bringing Amu along with it.

"Amu!" Ikuto cried out as he dove in after them.

Amu wasn't sure how it happened. It all went by so fast. She had expected to be instantly knocked out, because she barely had any time to take a breath.

But she didn't. She looked down and saw that the necklace that Ami had given her was shining brightly. Ikuto was a feet away from them, his cat paws effortlessly bashing away at the demon but weren't having any affect. Apparently, his attacks were useless underwater. He noticed that the necklace was glowing as well and tried to say something to her. But she couldn't make out a single word. He then continued trying to hit the demon with his cat paws.

It occurred to her what he was trying to say. She shuddered in revulsion. It was a disgusting thought. Did he really think she could manage to do that?

She recalled Reiki telling her that the necklace would protect her in times of need. Maybe that was why she could breathe right now. She grasped the moon attached to the necklace and glanced up at the demon in determination.

Without hesitation, she stabbed the crescent moon into the demon's hand.

The blazing light radiating from the necklace created long burn marks on its hand. The demon clutched its wrist and squirmed around in pain. The long scaly fingers wrapped Amu loosened their grip, letting her go. Unfortunately, she accidentally let the necklace slip through her fingers, losing her protection against the water.

"_Oh shit,"_ she thought as she struggled to get to the surface for a breath of air. Any memory of Kukai's swimming lessons escaped from her mind. Eventually, she was unable to hold it anymore and let herself succumb to the dark watery depths. The last thing she felt was someone's arms wrapping around her.

* * *

A girl stares at the long, vast stretch of water before her. She holds onto a surfboard, holding onto it so tight that her knuckles turn white. Waves of white foam appear on the horizon. She hesitantly places the surfboard on the water's surface.

She wonders how she was forced into this. She looks back to shore, seeing her friend watching her under a red parasol, sitting on a beach towel. Even though she was a distance away, she could tell that her friend was worried about her safety.

Making sure that the leash was tied tightly around her ankle, she paddles out to the waves, letting her surfboard rest on a surf. She feels herself rising through the air, as the wave grew in size. She stands up and balances herself on the surfboard. She looks out to shore, and sees her friend cheering for her, clapping her hands together in applause.

However, she loses her balance, toppling off her surfboard. She is overcome with panic, her limbs flailing about to stay afloat. A surfer not far off from where she was, dives under his wave and paddles over to the frightened girl. He gets off his board, trying to calm down the girl. He lifts her up from the water and seats her right behind him on his surfboard.

A feeling of relief washes over her as she holds onto her savior. She stares at him in awe, her cheeks painted with a faint tint of pink.

* * *

Amu's eyelids fluttered open. Her vision was blurred, partially covered with something yellow and fuzzy. She brought her hand to her face and took it off. It was a small towel. Salty sea air filled her nostrils when she took in a breath.

"Where am I?"

"You awake?" She looked up to see Ikuto sitting next to her, his chin resting against the back of his hand, "Did you know that you drool in your sleep?"

She groaned in exasperation. Ugh. Him.

He raised an eyebrow, "What's with that disappointed face?"

"Never mind." She had a dream. She wasn't so sure what it was. Could it possibly be one of her memories? The only thing she was sure of that her savior was certainly not Ikuto in that dream. He was around her age, and his hair was more ruffled than his neat blue hair.

Then she remembered something. Right before she passed out, someone's arms had wrapped around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"Ikuto."

"Yes?"

"Give me your hand." He placed his hand in her open palm and sure enough, it was very solid. Even after a few minutes, it still remained that way. Her golden eyes widened in surprise.

"Ikuto….How-"

"It just happened. The others are like that also. Don't know why," he said with a shrug, "Your necklace didn't even repel me this time."

"My necklace?" She reached up and found it around her neck. Only a faint glow radiated from it now. The light gave off a feeling of warmth, soothing the weariness in her heart. The edges of her lips curved into a small smile. She knew why. Though it was embarrassing to admit it out loud.

"Hinamori-san!"

Tadase, Kukai, Kairi, and Nagihiko ran over to them. All of them wore an expression of concern on their faces.

"Ikuto-niisan told us what happened," said Tadase, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured him.

Kukai ruffled her hair, "What were you thinking, drowning yourself like that? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?" So Ikuto didn't tell them about the demon. It was probably a good thing though. They were worried enough as it is.

"Would you like a bigger towel, Ojou-sama?" Kairi asked her, "You look kind of cold."

"I told you, I'm okay." Nagihiko was strangely quiet, hiding in the back. His facial expression was one of concern like the others but it also read something else. Guilt. As if he should have gotten there sooner to help her. He turned away, allowing himself to gaze at the vast blue sea.

* * *

"Here you go." Tsukasa was handing out packets of sparklers.

"Interesting," Kairi mused, inspecting the packet, "I wonder how these work."

Tadase read the instructions, "I'm sure we have to light it with a match." Ikuto was vigorously rubbing a matchstick against the matchbox, trying to get it a lit with fire. When a spark appeared, he dropped the match in surprise. Nagihiko flinched, clearly bothered by the matches.

Amu noticed this, "You okay?"

He gave her a weak smile, "Yeah…"

She refused to hear any of it though, "No, you're not. I have something that might help you. Wait here." She went to the car and brought out two large bags. She set them down on the ground and searched through one. She took out a pair of shades and handed them over to Nagihiko. The lenses were dark and when he put them on, his vision was instantly tinted with a shade of grey. He could not see the color of the small flame that emerged on the matchstick when Ikuto tried lighting it again.

"Wow. It really works."

She smiled, "I thought so. As long as you can't make out the colors, you should be fine."

"Hey! How come he gets to have a present and we get nothing?!" Kukai complained.

"Alright, alright. I'll show them to you." She first presented Kairi with his gift. It was a yellow glass case and a small green towel. "It's for your glasses," she told him, "I rarely see you with your glasses off, and so I thought you might need this just in case you ever feel like taking them off one day." He blinked, unsure of how he should react to her sincere gesture.

"……Thank you, Ojou-sama. I should gladly use this." He bowed his head in gratitude.

Next, she presented Kukai with his gift. It was large blue sack. He shook it, pressing his head to its side.

"What's in here?" he asked her.

She grinned sheepishly, "I couldn't decide what kind of ball you would like so I ended up buying a whole bag of sport equipment." Kukai opened it and deposited all of its contents. There was a soccer ball, a basketball, a snowboard, a surfboard, and a set of baseball equipment.

"That's really a lot," commented Tadase, peering over his shoulder.

"This is perfect! Thanks, Hinamori!" He threw an arm around her shoulders, grabbing her head in a headlock.

"Let go! The others didn't get their present yet!" When Kukai finally released her, she presented Tadase with his gift. It was a potted dark pink rose. "You love flowers, right? I thought it would be nice for you have to one individual flower to look after." Tadase touched one of the petals delicately.

"Thank you, Hinamori-san."

"And here's yours." Amu handed Ikuto his present. It was a pillow in shape of a cat's paw. He patted it at both sides and set it down at the ground. He rested his head on it, closing his eyes. A vein bulged on Amu's forehead.

"Don't sleep here!" she scolded him.

"If you don't mind me asking….why did you do this?" asked Nagihiko, "We're your servants. We're not supposed to ask for anything in return for our services."

She shrugged, "So? It doesn't change anything. You guys are my friends, and that's all that matters."

* * *

A lone figure of a man stood on top of a tree branch. He wore a long, red, tattered jacket over a grey turtleneck sweater. A golden horseshoe necklace rested on his chest. He watched the scene beneath him unfold. Every person in the group now held a lit sparkler in their hand. A small girl waved her's around rather carelessly, earning a scowl from the older girl. The boys in the group talked to each other cheerfully, examining their sparklers in awe.

His lips curved upwards into an amused smirk, "Interesting. I never expected she would accept those ghosts so fast. She really is a sweet girl." His smirk grew into a smile, with a hint of insanity in his facial expression, "But of course, it's not like I regret letting that demon loose on her in the first place."

* * *

**It's longer this time. Which is why it took so long. I had fun writing this though. After this, we are going to start Rima's backstory, but I won't get into that yet until after the introduction of one of the few OCs in this story. He's rather.....twisted? Please let me know if I made any grammar mistakes. **


	28. Chapter 28

"Hello? Ah yes, this is Raiden," the man spoke into the phone. It was early morning in Harima. The sun had yet to rise to announce the arrival of a new day. A few people were out on the streets at such a time. A few who were would stare at how the man was oddly dressed, for his attire was none like the other residents of the town. Not to mention, there was no way a normal person would wear such a heavy coat at this time of year.

"It's nice to hear from you again too. Huh? Why am I here? I just came to visit an old friend, is there a problem with that?"

"_No. It's just odd to hear you come to Harima. And don't lie to me. You're not the type to go around visiting old friends just because you miss them."_

Raiden let out a small 'tsk', "Ouch. You're so mean, Nikaidou. Besides, I'm interested in the progress Tsukasa is making. I can't ever tell what is on that man's mind. He speaks in too many riddles."

"_Says the person who manipulates people for a hobby," _Nikaidou muttered under his breath, _"So? What do you make of your first visit?"_

He looked in the direction of the Hinamori mansion, its habitants probably fast asleep at this time, "I wanted to pay the little shrine a visit. I thought Tsukasa would cover for me, but it turns out I was wrong. Something surprised me though."

"_And that is….?"_

"That Hinamori girl….." He smiled, but it was not one of kindness, "…..is really gullible. I don't know what the ghosts see in her."

"_It's something you wouldn't understand, Raiden. It's called love."_

Raiden shrugged, "I'm not of this world. That word means nothing to me."

Nikaidou laughed, _"True."_

"Well, nice talking to you. Now if you excuse me, I have an appointment to attend to." He hung up the phone, "I look forward to meeting you again, my ghost friends."

* * *

Amu was utterly exhausted. She was lying down on the couch, feeling every drop of energy drained from her muscles. She had thought that the beach trip had strengthened her relationship with the ghosts. But in all honesty, nothing had changed. Chaos still ensued whenever the ghosts were around.

* * *

One example was this morning. For some reason, Kukai decided to cook breakfast for her this time. He said it was because now that all of the ghosts were close to human, they should take equal turns with doing the chores. Personally, Amu was sure that both Tadase and Kukai didn't even know how to peel an onion and that Ikuto would accidentally set the house on fire.

Kukai had spent a good ten minutes in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to cook chazuke. First, he burnt the rice when he cooked it, and when he was heating up the water, he accidentally let the stove on longer than it should be, the kettle letting out a high-pitched whistle sound, instantly waking Amu up from bed. Luckily for him, he was a ghost, so he didn't felt any pain when he picked up the steaming kettle. But when it finally came to the choice of the toppings, he ended up putting a variety of weird stuff on it, producing a rather far from edible dish than what he had hoped for.

Amu stared at his dish in barely disguised disgust, "What….is that?"

"Chazuke….?" He said it as if it were a question.

She sighed, "Forget it. I'll just heat up the leftover beef stew from last night."

Tsukasa poked his head in the kitchen, "Should I help?"

"No!"

* * *

During lunchtime, she was eating lunch with Yaya as usual. Before Yaya could take a bite out of her lunch, a shout from the school entrance was heard. It sounded rather frantic, pleading for help. They both glanced at each other and went to the school entrance to see what the fuss was about.

A crowd of students gathered at the bottom of the tall camphor tree in front of the school. Amu even spotted Rima and Utau there, both staring up at the tree branch where the shouts were coming from. She followed their gaze and nearly choked at the sight.

Three boys were tied to the tree branch by a heavy rope, all dressed in cheerleader outfits, with a ridiculous amount of makeup on.

"I'd have to admit, this is a masterpiece," Utau snickered. Rima was silent, though it could have been the trick of the lighting, Amu was certain that she caught a faint glint of amusement in her eyes.

Yaya was quickest to recover from her shock, pulling out her cellphone, "This is so going to the school newspaper." The flashing lights from her cellphone blinded the unfortunate captives as she snapped pictures.

Amu, on the other hand, was speechless. Who in the world could manage to restrain three boys, tie them up to a tree, and dress them up in cheerleader outfits?

"What happened?" someone asked them, "How did you….became like this?"

"You see, we saw this chick passing by," explained one of the boys, "And man, was she hot! Well…from the back at least. So, we, you know, hitted on her, but it turns out it was just some dude with long hair."

Amu facepalmed. It couldn't be….

"I think we got him pissed because of that, and then the next thing we knew, he got us into this."

"He should've gone easier on us. How should we know that he was a guy? We thought he was some crossdressing girl!"

"_Well no one really crossdresses these days," _Amu thought with a sweatdrop. Rima looked up at the boys in sudden interest. Her hand instinctively went for the side of her head, her shoulders shaking from the pain.

"Are you okay?" asked Amu.

"….It's nothing," she said, taking in a few breaths of air.

"What kind of guy has long hair?" Utau wondered out loud.

"Someone special….?" Amu suggested, hoping that Utau wasn't suspicious. Nagihiko really did have a scary temper.

* * *

Afterschool, Amu was heading towards the school gates. She was surprised to see Tadase there, waiting for her.

"Hello, Hinamori-san," he greeted her, "How was your school day?"

"Tadase-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Tsukasa-san said he had some errands to do," he said, "I thought I would come in his place to pick you up."

Some girls noticed Tadase standing by the entrance gate, "Hey, there's a boy with Hinamori-san!"

"Is he her boyfriend?"

"He's so cute!"

"Look at his clothes! It doesn't look like he's from around here."

"Is he rich?"

"What's your name?"

Soon enough, girls crowded around Tadase, much to his bewilderment. Amu was pushed aside, finding herself suddenly two feet away from him. She couldn't squeeze past the girls, all of them swarming around the poor blonde boy, pestering him with questions. She sighed, knowing that it was useless to fight her way through these girls. She glanced apologetically in Tadase's direction and left. She had no chance of sneaking him away anyhow.

* * *

She went window shopping. Amu walked from store to store, staring at the displays in the front. But she didn't have the heart to buy anything right now. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the beach trip. They stayed up for most of the night, talking, playing around with their sparklers. Tsukasa said he wanted to put up fireworks but couldn't because of how the ghosts easily jumped at loud noises.

She saw Kairi up ahead, talking to someone. It was a man pushing a baby stroller. He had short brown hair and wore a business suit.

"Kairi!" She ran up to him, "Why are you here?"

"Since I'm close to human now, I thought I should take a look around town and get comfortable to this environment," he replied, "I did end up helping out some individuals, like this man right here. He says he has problems taking care of his child."

Amu peered into the baby stroller, and was surprised to find Tsubasa there, Yaya's little brother, "Tsubasa? I haven't seen you in such a long time!" She then turned to the man next to the stroller, "So….you must be Yaya's father, right?"

He nodded, "My wife had some business to do at work and she left me with the task of taking care of Tsubasa." He glanced at his watch, "Though I have a meeting to go to in a couple of minutes. My daughter was supposed to come here, but she really is taking her time." He extended a finger and tickled Tsubasa under the chin. The young boy made a face and turned the other way. He sighed, "See? Tsubasa's been cranky lately and I don't know why. Only my wife and my daughter always seem to know what he wants." Tsubasa's cheeks grew red and he opened his mouth to let out a wail.

"WAAAHHH!!!" he cried. Kairi clasped his hand over his ears, trying to block out the loud noise.

"Is Mashiro-san with you? Usually, Tsubasa cheers up when she's here…."

"No. But I think we can do without her." Amu remembered that Tsubasa would immediately calm down when he was held by Rima. Yaya said it was most likely because of how Rima smells just like his mom…..Maybe that was why Yaya was such great friends with Rima? No. That didn't seem likely. That was an odd reason to be friends with someone as cold as Rima.

Amu carefully held the baby in her arms. "There, there," she cooed. Despite her soothing tone, Tsubasa was still upset. An idea came to her.

"Kairi, can you hold him for me?" She placed Tsubasa in his arms. Kairi blinked, flustered by his new task. Two large teardrops were now rolling down Tsubasa's face.

"W-What do I do? This is all too sudden!" he panicked.

"Calm down. You have to support his neck," Amu instructed him. Kairi carefully moved his arm down to Tsubasa's neck. He stopped crying, staring up at Kairi in wonder. Even Kairi couldn't help but smile in adoration for the young boy.

However, the moment was shortlived. Tsubasa once again threw a crying fit, breaking Kairi's heart.

"WAAAHHHH!!" Amu cringed and placed one hand over her ear as she searched through her cellphone for something.

"Here it is!" A soft, gentle music started playing from her cellphone. Tsubasa's cries became whimpers and eventually died out. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

After being thanked many times by Yaya's father, Amu decided to check on Tadase. He should have escaped by now. She asked Kairi if he wanted to accompany her, but he said he had to go back to the mansion because Tsukasa said they were having some kind of special guest. Special guest? They never had any visitors in the Hinamori mansion. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of friends Tsukasa had. Then again, she barely knew anything about him.

She walked past a construction site. Most of the workers had just come back from lunch break. They were shouting at something, pointing at a small figure on top of one of the support beams.

"Hey! Get down there!"

"That place isn't safe! Get down right now!"

"Someone call the fire department!"

Amu, who was already tired from the day's events, felt like banging her head multiple times against the wall. She knew all too well who it was.

"Is he sleeping?"

"Is anyone brave enough to get up there?"

She checked one more time and sure enough, the figure had blue hair and was leaning against the supporting beam, fast asleep. This oddly reminded her of those cases where someone's cat got stuck in a tree and had to be helped down.

She considered her options. She could just walk away and let the fire department get him down. But they would surely question him and may even possibly charge him for trespassing. She could go up there and try to get him down. But he was five feet above the ground and she had no chance of climbing up there and convince to get off anyway.

She bit her bottom lip. She had no solution. What exactly would Ikuto respond to when he was asleep? She had one idea, but she wasn't so sure if it was going to work. She took in a deep breath. She had no other choice. If it worked, it was worth the embarrassment.

"Ikuto!" she shouted to him in the sweetest voice she could muster. She nearly broke her façade by gagging. She used to pretend she was someone calm and collected back at middle school. This was different. She could pretend to be someone cold and aloof but not someone who was all sweet and polite. She was not Rima, who could easily manipulate her fanboys with a simple smile and sweet and innocent personality.

Ikuto yawned and looked at Amu, "Hm?"

"Ikuto, honey. Can you come down here for a second?" she asked politely. Beneath her smile, she was trying to keep her temper in check.

He raised an eyebrow, "Why are you talking like that?"

She gave him a murderous look that read: _"Just come down here before I torture you to death."_

However, he didn't come down the way she was hoping he would. Instead, he jumped off the steel beam he was on and landing smoothly on his feet. The construction workers stared at him in shock. She swiftly grabbed Ikuto by the collar and dragged him away, too embarrassed to say anything.

* * *

"So why are we here?"

Amu had gathered all of the ghosts together in the lounge. All of them were wondering why she had called them here. But one thing they could tell though was that Amu was not in a happy mood.

She rubbed her temples, "Where to start…..First off, Ikuto, why were you sleeping at a construction site?"

He shrugged, "I wanted to sleep in a high place."

"Then sleep on the roof next time!"

"But it's cold up there," he whined.

"And being five feet off the ground isn't?!" Ikuto had a nonchalant expression on his face, showing that he really didn't care. Sighing, Amu turned to Nagihiko, "Nagihiko….As much as I love you, I think you went a little too far on those boys at my school."

"They deserved it." He still seemed a little touchy about the subject.

"Look," Amu explained to the ghosts, "Even though you guys are close to human now, that doesn't give you the excuse to walk around town whenever you feel like it. Unless you have some kind of errand or I let you, then I can't let you guys go wherever you want. What happens if you have some kind of accident and you come out without a single scratch, and everyone sees you? I thought you guys were more careful about that."

"Hinamori-san….It's just….Having the ability to touch living things is a very big moment for us," said Tadase, "You can't blame use for letting our excitement get into our heads."

"Though in reality, it's more like we became walking zombies," muttered Ikuto.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?"

Tsukasa walked into the room, confused to see all of the ghosts sitting around Amu like they were in some kind of international meeting.

"What's wrong, Tsukasa? Did something come up?"

A man came in, dressed in a tattered red jacket. He looked slightly older than Ikuto's age and had average black hair and dark eyes yet Amu could sense something sinister about him. There was just something about the sparkle in his eyes that unsettled her.

"Been a long time," he said, "Kukai, Tadase, Kairi, Ikuto, Nagihiko." Amu noticed how the tension in the room immediately rose. Even the normally cheerful Kukai had a frown on his face.

"I thought you were supposed to stay back at home," said Kukai.

The man shook a finger at him, "Now, now, Kukai. I have the freedom to go wherever I want." He turned to Tadase, smiling at him, "Hello, Tadase. Are you doing well?" Tadase nodded his head slowly in response, fear evident on his face. "And what about you, Kairi? I see that you haven't changed that much."

"I'm fine, thank you," Kairi answered stiffly. The man then turned to Ikuto.

"I won't be surprised if you're still the rebellious type, Ikuto."

He smirked, "And I won't be surprised if you're still the underdog."

A loud slap echoed across the room. An inaudible gasp could be heard. A large bruise formed on Ikuto's face from where he had slapped him. The man's fingers were now wrapped around Ikuto's collar, his voice dangerously low.

"You should be lucky that he left you off so easily. Because next time, I'll make sure you _wish_ you were living in hell instead of this world."

Suddenly, he was pushed aside, Ikuto being freed from his grip. They stared in shock at the person who did it. Amu stood between them, her hands held out. Even she was taken back by her own force.

"I-I'm sorry…I was just…" Her body had moved on its own accord. It happened before her mind could register what she just done.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh! I-I'm Amu Hinamori, sir!" She bowed out of politeness.

"I see….Well Amu Hinamori, it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Raiden." He held out his hand. Amu shook it. She noticed how he had a touch as cold and skin as pale as the ghosts'.

Tsukasa, who had been watching their interactions rather calmly, stood up, "Enough, Raiden. You came here to talk to me, remember?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Oh, right. Sorry. It kind of slipped from my mind. And Nagihiko, don't think I forgot about you." Nagihiko, who was standing in the corner of the room, flinched. Cold, nervous beads of perspiration dripped down his face. "But don't worry. I'm sure we'll meet again soon enough." Raiden faced Tsukasa, "I'm done talking. Happy?"

"Extremely pleased," Tsukasa replied. They walked out of the room, but not before Raiden grabbed Amu by the arm.

"You think everything is fine and dandy now," he whispered, "But eventually, your happiness will be shortlived and you will fall victim to Harima's web." He let go and went off. Amu's hand fell to her side. She shivered instinctively.

She heard those words many times before. However, when Raiden put it that way, it sounded like a threat. That if she did one wrong thing, there will be hell to pay.

* * *

**I'm so glad this chapter is finally finished. Now that Raiden's introduction is out of the way, I can go ahead with doing a coverage of Rima's past. I'm not going to reveal everything though, because of how much of Rima's past intertwines with Nagi's. I don't know. I'm still thinking about it. Constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	29. Chapter 29

**LaharlCrazy1120: Thank you! xD I wasn't sure if people were going to like him because of his twisted personality. One minute, he acts all sweet to you, the next minute, he's your enemy. I actually used the name "Raiden" because it was considered a Japanese name yet looked strangely Western. o_0 **

**habbylala: Thank you! ^ ^ It's always lovely to see new readers. Nikaidou and Tsukasa are both colleagues if you can put it that way. They're the only ones who can handle Raiden's weird moods.**

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* * *

**

Rima found herself in some dark, cold, room. She was not alone. There was a boy standing right in front of her. A shadow was over his face, his expression unreadable. An aura of depression rolled off his shoulders.

A feeling of guilt stabbed Rima's heart. She couldn't face him. Couldn't say anything to him. She had no words of comfort within her. Her heart was frozen in ice, any feelings of warmth and fondness long gone.

The boy left without a single word. Rima stared after him in silence. Her hand started to reach out for him, but she stopped herself. She had no right to say anything. It was all her doing. She destroyed whatever chance they had with her own hands.

A loud snap sounded. Her fingers started crumbling away, breaking into pieces. She grabbed her wrist out of shock and horror. A crack formed from her palm to her wrist. Yet she felt no pain. No blood poured from the wound. It was as if she had became a doll made out of porcelain glass. Why was this happening? It felt like the air was eating away at her body. Eventually, her own hand crumbled away too, as Rima watched the pieces fall to the ground. The boy was far away now. She stared after him hopelessly as pieces of her body continued breaking off like small glass-like fragments.

* * *

Rima shot up in bed, breathing heavily. She reached for her hand and was relieved to find it was whole. It was all just a nightmare. She looked out the window and found it was morning already.

Her house was silent. Her mother was probably making breakfast about this time. Her father would be sipping from his cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper. The two would ignore each other, too tired to argue or shout. It was as if they were all strangers living under the same roof.

Rima got up and changed into a small white dress. After making sure she had a box of food and a flower bouquet with her, she pulled out a cardboard box from beneath her bed. Here, was her secret stash of gag manga. Most of them were confiscated by her mother a long time ago. Both of her parents believed that comedy was silly nonsense and thought it was wasteful using money to buy more gag manga for her. Rima's heart prickled with a bitter resentment.

Over the years, she collected more gag mangas, one by one. She had to be careful though, so she wouldn't raise any of her parents' suspicions. Some were from sneaking into her mother's room in the middle of the night and taking them back. Some were bought from her own allowance. Some were presents given to her by few of her friends.

One gag manga book stood out the most though. It sat on top of the pile, the corners of its cover burnt into a deep shade of charcoal. She smiled fondly and stroked the spine with a delicate finger. She never got tired of reading it. This was the first gag manga she received as a gift and the first she swiped back from her mother's clutches. But then the memory of how it got burnt flashed through her mind.

Her smile turned into a frown. Her finger instantly stopped stroking the book. Out of all of the memories she lost, this was the most she could remember. That memory was seared into her mind, coming back to haunt her in her dreams. She could never forget the feeling of horror she felt on that day, how she cursed the gods for tormenting her, and the many tears she shed. Out of regret, relief, and reminisce.

* * *

Amu stared out of the window. She wore a blue and white hoodie over a black dress and striped pink stockings. She felt like going out and getting some fresh air. But her mind was occupied. She kept thinking about the threat Raiden said to her. Should she worry about it?

"Amu-chan~."

Amu jumped, "Ah!" She turned around to see Nagihiko standing behind her, "Don't scare me like that!"

He chuckled, "Sorry. You're just too much of a scaredy cat. It's cute."

Amu blushed, "No, it's not." She noticed that there was something different about him, "Oh, you're wearing those clothes I gave you." She had bought casual male clothing for all of the guys so they could blend in with the crowd whenever they went out.

"I'm a little not used to it." Nagihiko wore a teal vest over a blue shirt and jeans. He looked a little uncomfortable wearing something else besides his regular suit. "Something wrong? You don't look too happy."

"Yeah…." Nagihiko's face creased into a frown. Suddenly, he grabbed Amu's hand and pulled her along.

"N-Nagihiko? Where are we going?"

He turned his head to smile at her, "Anywhere you want."

* * *

"Aw! How cute!"

A mother duck was followed by five ducklings as it swam through the water. They were walking by a clear pond in the park. Nagihiko just nodded his head in agreement. Amu spotted a large tree up ahead. It looked quite similar to the tree in front of her school, save for the thick white rope tied around the middle.

"Is that tree sacred?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nagihiko answered, "It's considered holy. Don't know why they like these types of trees so much though."

Amu looked around the park. They were in the part of the town where nature and shrines were plentiful. "They sure have a lot of shrines."

"This is a superstitious town. It'll be surprising if they don't." They were approaching a shrine with a small shop in front. An old lady was setting ladles around a hand washing basin. Both Amu and Nagihiko bowed respectfully.

"It's rare to see such young people coming to our temple," she said, "Are you here to pray, visit the burial ground, or to buy an amulet?"

"Not really. We're just looking around," Nagihiko told her. The lady simply nodded her head, as if she understood, and went to the back of the shop. They sat down on a bench right next to it.

"Nagihiko."

"Hm?"

Amu twiddled her thumbs. She felt safe with him, like she could tell him anything. "If you…say, know that something bad is going to happen to you, something sad, will you worry about it?"

He thought about it, "I don't think it's a bad thing to worry about it. You're human. Of course you'd be worried. But…." He gave a small, sad smile, "….if you worry too much about the future, it can become something bad within itself. No one can tell what will happen to you. Not even fortune tellers or prophecies. It is assuring to know what will happen to you later on in life but those types of things are just the easy way out. Even if you stick to one decision you'll never know."

"That's…that's deep," she commented, impressed.

He shrugged, "It's nothing to be impressed about. It's just something I picked up from a friend a long time ago. Though probably not word for word."

"Well whoever that person is, I feel a lot better." Her stomach growled, causing her cheeks to glow red in embarrassment. Nagihiko laughed lightly.

He stood up, "Wait here. I'll go get something for you." He went to the lady at the shop and asked her if there was a convenience store nearby. She said there was and pointed to the direction where he was suppose to go. He thanked her and gave Amu a little wink before he left. Amu watched him go until he vanished from sight.

"Your boyfriend is really nice," said the lady behind the counter.

Amu shook her head, "Oh no. He's not my boyfriend. We're just friends."

"I see. I won't pry any further than." She sighed dreamily, "Sure reminds me of my younger days though. Except now my life is tied to taking care of this shrine dedicated Chiyoko-san."

Amu looked at her in surprise, "Chiyoko? You don't mean Reiki Chiyoko?"

"Yes. You're familiar with the legend of Harima, correct? Reiki Chiyoko is the priestess in that story. Over the years, many shrines have been built in her honor by her family members. Some even say that there's one shrine with her remains that's hidden in a bluff besides a beach."

Amu gulped nervously. She knew where that shrine was.

"In that shrine, Chiyoko-san is said to appear before those with a deep connection to the supernatural and are strongly involved with the fate of this town."

"Involved?" As far as she knew, she was just a girl who had five ghosts as her servants. What could she possibly have to do with the fate of the town?

"I'm not exactly sure if that rumor is true though. A lot of people in this town have lost their faith in Chiyoko-san's spirit. I guess it's because of the rebellion a long time ago. But many of her followers, me included, believe that she still watches over this town to this day, sending us warnings and signs whenever she can."

"What about the exorcists and demon hunters in the legend?"

"Who knows? Very few people these days publicly announce that they are an exorcist or a demon hunter. Those that do are deemed as crazy. Though there are a few rare cases where some people are okay with it. For example, are you familiar with the mansion on a top of a hill by the town? Rumors say that an exorcist once lived there. She went by the name of Aneko Mashiro."

"Mashiro?" She couldn't believe it. A member of the Mashiro family once lived at her house.

"The Mashiro family is said to have the blood of the Chiyoko family running through their veins. Chiyoko-san herself had no children, so I don't know if that rumor is true. A lot can happen in a thousand years. Anyway, even before she had bought the house, there was a rumor that a shrine existed there. I'm pretty sure that was the reason she bought it in the first place. Even if there was, she refused to release any information about it to the public. I heard she once lived in the city with her sister before she lived at that mansion. She passed away due to a critical medical condition unfortunately, and it was around that time that her sister moved into the town of Harima."

Amu frowned. It was too much of a coincidence. That meant her aunt died just as Rima moved from the city into Harima. From what she could guess, Rima must have already had some knowledge of how to be an exorcist before she moved away. And, it made her shudder to think of such a thing, it was almost as if Aneko foretold that her sister would move into town and let herself succumb to her disease.

"She was buried here and her family would come to visit her from time to time. Speaking of which, here she is now."

Amu followed her gaze to see Rima standing there before them, her face also reading the same shock she felt when seeing her. Even so, she remained silent and didn't address her.

"Ah, Rima-chan. How was Aneko-chan? Is she having a peaceful sleep?" the lady asked her.

"She's okay," Rima said in response. Her eyes briefly flickered over to Amu's direction but she continued talking. "How's service? Did anyone make a prayer to Chiyoko's shrine?"

She shook her head sadly, "None. They only came to visit dead relatives or buy some amulets. Come to think of it, why don't you ever make a prayer at Chiyoko-san's shrine? Your family is rumored to be her descendants after all."

"It's….personal."

"Alright. I won't say any more about it then." Rima gave a small bow, thanking her, and faced Amu, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I never expected you to be here," she said.

Amu started to sweat bullets, "Well…..my friend dragged me here, so…" She noticed that this only served to increase her suspicion. "B-But he did it so suddenly and only did it in the first place so I can get my mind off of things."

For a minute, Rima stared at her in surprise. Then her shoulders sagged, her gaze casted at the ground.

"Your friend's just like him…." she muttered. Her voice sounded reminiscent, her eyes in a daze.

"Mashiro-san? What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing." Rima sat down next to her.

"You came here to visit your aunt, right?"

"Yes."

"Can you….you know, see her ghost or something?"

"No." She looked up at the blue sky above them, "Her soul's at peace. She has no regrets. I can't reach out to her anymore." Amu noticed that she sounded a little bitter when she said that.

"You don't….sound happy that she had to die."

"I'm not." Fury flashed in her normally steel cold honey-colored eyes as she glanced at the shrine, "My aunt was buried here because my parents thought it was proper for her to be buried near the shrine of our ancestor. I-"She paused, biting her lip, "….Yaya is lucky. She has a sibling. She doesn't have to deal with the burden that comes with being the only child. Which is why I was so mad at her when she said she wished she was an only child. There is no fun that comes with being one. Your family all expects a great deal from you, you're all alone at home, and they make a big deal out of how you're the last one left. Back then, I thought being an exorcist was an interesting idea, but my mind was set on doing something different. Before I knew it, my aunt had deliberately made me carry the duty of being Chiyoko's descendant."

Amu lowered her head, remembering how she was when she first came here. She hated the idea of living in the mansion and being left with the duties of tidying it up while her parents were away on vacation. "I...can understand where you are coming from. But, having a sibling isn't so great either. Along with all of the responsibilities, you have a sibling to look after and you're expected to set an example. It's the younger siblings that have it easy, not the older ones."

Rima suddenly got up, staring at the sign by the entrance of the shrine.

"Something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No. I just…thought I saw someone." She pulled out her cellphone and checked the time, "….I have to go."

"Okay. See you tomorrow!" Amu waved goodbye. Rima blinked, staring at her oddly before walking away. But the pinkette could've sworn that she saw her gave a small wave back.

* * *

Once Rima was out of sight, Amu spotted Nagihiko heading towards her. He carried a white plastic bag in his hand, filled with various snacks for her to eat. She failed to notice he wavered and the distracted look in his amber eyes.

"There you are! It felt like you took forever!"

Nagihiko smiled at her weakly, "Yeah…" While Amu was searching through the bag for something to eat, he glanced back at the direction Rima had left in.

* * *

A girl and a boy sat together on a bench by a basketball court. The sky was painted with hues of pink, purple, and orange. But time did not matter to them. They were only concerned with talking to each other as much as they can before the sun sets.

"Auntie Aneko said that she wants me to consider becoming an exorcist," said the girl. She pouted, clearly upset by this.

"I don't see anything wrong with it. But didn't you say that you wanted to become a comedian?" asked the boy.

"Not exactly. I just said being a comedian would be nice. Or any job dealing with the entertainment industry or comedy. But I definitely don't want to be an exorcist. You have to fight demons and whatnot."

"Well with your stubborn attitude and temper, maybe the demons will consider you one of their own so you won't even have to fight," he teased.

She glared at him, "Very funny. This is serious. Auntie Aneko said that….she would probably in failing her duty or something. And that I'm probably the only one who can do it." Her shoulders slumped and pools of light entered her eyes.

The boy panicked, "Y-You're not gonna cry, are you?!"

"No….But….I don't get it. Auntie Aneko sounded like….as if she was going to die. What if that happens to me? What if whatever this big responsibility is costs my life?"

"You told me yourself that there's no use in worrying about the future. So why are you worrying now? Besides, if anything bad happens to you, I'll make sure that I'll be there for you to have a hand to pull you back up to safety."

"You don't mean it."

"What are you talking about? Of course I do."

"You have to pinky swear."

"You gotta be kidding me…"

She threatened him, "If you don't pinky swear, then I'll send demons after you and make sure that they haunt you in your sleep."

He rolled his eyes, "I don't think you really can, but fine." His pinky finger intertwined with her's.

"Pinky swear! If I chance to tell a lie, cross my heart and hope to die!" they both chanted.

* * *

**Some people thought that Amu was the reincarnation of the head priestess in the Harima legend. She's not. She still has something to do with the fate of the town though. Don't know if I'll ever be able to get to that. **

**Next chapter will be focused on an upcoming event in Amu's school and more is revealed about Rima.**


	30. Chapter 30

"Mama! I'm home!" Rima shouted, running up to her mother. They pulled each other into a tight embrace. Her mother smiled and then noticed that there was someone with her.

"You have a friend with you today?" Rima's friend lingered at the doorway, scared to go in.

"What are you standing there for? Come on in!" The boy did not move from his spot at the doorway. He was hesitant, not sure what to expect the moment he stepped into the house.

"This is rare. You never bring any of your friends home." Her father, who was just taking off his coat, had seen him standing there. He came over to Rima and ruffled up her long curls, causing her to make a face.

"Dad!" she complained, "Stop messing up my hair!" He laughed, clearly playing around with her. The boy still remained at his spot at the doorway, as if he was afraid his very own presence will contaminate the fun and lively atmosphere of the house.

Rima ran up to him and took his hand. She frowned, noticing that his eyes weren't focused at her. She tapped his forehead, knocking on it as if it was a door, "Hello? Anyone there?"

He snapped out of his daze and his eyes shifted over to her face, "Huh?"

"Do you want to catch a cold? Don't worry. My parents are really nice," she said with a smile, to assure him.

* * *

Among the gag mangas stacked on top of each other in the cardboard box beneath her bed, was a photo. This photo was a picture of a 7-yr old Rima with her parents. They all held each other in an embrace, as if promising her that they will never let go. The photo frame was dusty and had not been touched ever since the incident a couple of years ago.

Rima stared at the photo, her face void of emotion. She had lived in this environment for so long that the memory of her parents laughing when she made a funny face seemed alien to her, her own mind rejecting the very evidence. It was as if she was watching a movie through another person's eyes, not the main character's.

She wondered if her parents would ever greet someone at the door like that ever again. She doubted it. Even if it was a friend they would say that they were sorry, but they must come another time. And even if they were allowed to stay, the irremovable tension in the room would make her friend leave immediately.

Her family was beyond help. _She _was beyond help.

* * *

"Alright guys, I have an announcement to make," said the class representative of Amu's class. Most of her classmates were whispering to their friends, staring out the window, or doodling in their notebook. Amu herself was only half-paying attention to her class representative. For a second, she wished that her class representative was Kairi. He would get straight to the point and not waste a moment's breath.

"There will be a school festival sometime next week," she announced. This caught everyone's attention, all of them leaning over from their seats to hear more. Amu raised an eyebrow. Most of the schools she went to held the school festival during late spring. To do it next week sounded quite late to her.

"And I thought we should do a café." Amu mentally groaned. It was so common that it was getting quite tiring. And that also meant she had to wear a maid outfit, which was something she definitely did not want to do.

"But how are we going to pay for the outfits?" someone asked. Maid outfits must be costly in this town, she figured.

"Every student in this class is required to wear some type of formal clothing. Boys must wear a tie or a bow, which ever one you want. And girls must wear a white apron over their outfit." A murmur of excitement stirred in the class. That sounded easy. It was definitely a lot cheaper than buying a whole suit or a whole maid outfit.

"Hey, Saaya-sama. Are you going to buy a maid outfit?" Saaya Yamabuki was the richest (and prettiest according to herself) girl in Amu's class. Because of her family's economic status, many of her classmates regarded her in awe. Not so much the boys though, much to Saaya's frustration.

She smiled smugly, "Of course I am. It's nothing money can't handle. My father would gladly take care of it. And I shall be considerate of how…" She frowned, trying to find the right word for it, "…._tight_ this class budget is, and I'll ask my family if they can see to the design and the stuff necessary for the café. I'm sure they'll gladly agree to it." Her friends giggled in delight. Amu shook her head and thought about how she was going to do her maid outfit. She remembered she once tried on a frilly outfit similar to a maid's just for the heck of it. The frills made her itch and the polite smile she wore on her face was a little crooked. She shivered. No. She was just going to ask for her mother's apron and wear it over a plain shirt and skirt. Simple.

* * *

"So what is your class doing?" asked Yaya. She brought a hotcake to her mouth with a fork. The branches of the trees in the school's backyard swayed slightly in the breeze.

Amu rolled her eyes, "A café. What are you guys doing?"

Yaya made a face that read the same displeasure as her's, "The same. Except we're doing one that has a traditional Japanese feel to it. We're having kimonos, a Japanese dance performance, and green tea on the menu."

"Well that's more creative than mine. We're just having butler and maid outfits."

"But Yaya doesn't want to wear a kimono all day!" she whined, "The other classes are so lucky! I heard one of them was doing an auction and a senior class is having a shop that sells stuffed toys. Yaya wants to do those, not some traditional Japanese-styled café!" Amu wondered if it was Utau's class that was doing the shop with stuffed toys. Then again, she couldn't imagine the headstrong idol standing behind a row of teddy bears.

"What's Mashiro-san's class doing?" she asked.

"A haunted house," she replied, gulping down her hotcake, "Yaya is thinking about going there when she's on break." Amu shuddered. She could never handle haunted houses. They scared the hell out of her with the constant moaning and occasional shrieks of terror. Living with five ghosts was bad enough.

"Oh! Hinamori-san!"

Amu looked up to see two of her classmates hanging up posters. She recognized them as Saaya's friends. On closer inspection, the posters they were hanging up were advertising her class' café. But the words were clearly biased. It read: _"Come to 3-E's café. A fabulous maid awaits you there and there will be an exquisite cuisine served at our café. Expect professionally cooked French dishes and a well-cooked lobster as the main dish." _A picture of Saaya dressed in a maid outfit was on the poster, laughing grandly. Amu had to restrain herself from bringing up her hand to her face. Was this girl trying to scare customers away? And they were doing a café, not a restaurant.

"Saaya-sama already finished the posters and she wanted us to put them up," said one of the girls.

The other girl scratched her head sheepishly, "But the other classes' posters are kind of standing out…." She was right. The other posters advertising the classes' ideas for the school festival were more colorful and had a creative design to it. Their poster was just bigger in size. Amu noticed one of the posters right next to it. It had a picture of a haunted house, the corners of the poster covered with pictures of ghosts, demons, and a bunch of will-o-wisps.

"This must be the poster for Mashiro-san's class." The girls looked too, and then glanced at each other, their faces reading confusion.

"A haunted house? I thought the school banned them a long time ago."

"Yeah. I heard one time a demon actually went to the school and snuck into the haunted house. Because no one knew it was actually a demon until it came out, a lot of people thought it was just an attraction."

Amu paled, "You don't mean….? People got…."

They shook their heads furiously, "Oh no! It wasn't that bad. People just got sent to the infirmary. No serious injuries. The teachers managed to chase it out and then it was decided that all haunted houses ideas at school festivals were banned."

"Then why was Mashiro-san's class allowed to?"

"Maybe it's because of how Mashiro-san is supposedly descended from the head priestess," one of the girls guessed, "You know. That legend? I bet the teachers thought that ghost of the head priestess would protect the school as long as it's Mashiro-san's class that does it."

Amu was silent. That didn't sound right to her. It was almost like….that they were using Rima. Using her as a shield against misfortune and fear. Heck, these were teachers they were talking about here! Teachers were suppose to look out for their students, not use them in such a way that could be considered taboo. She wondered if Rima was aware of this. Aware of the ban and the reason why it was lifted.

* * *

It was afterschool already. Amu was eager to get out of school and head home. She was speed walking through the hallways when she heard someone's voice. It was quite angelic and it struck a chord within Amu's heart.

"Sasayaku BLUE MOON te

O nobeshitara

Sugi ni tidoki sou na non

Itsumo yasashiku hohoemu dake de

Oikakeye wa kurenai ne….."

It was coming from the chorus room. Curious, Amu came closer and peered through the door. She saw Utau there, singing her heart out. Utau faltered, and a look of disappointment came over her face. She sighed and glanced in Amu's direction. Amu gulped nervously and turned away. She didn't want the idol to think she was eavesdropping.

Utau opened the door, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? If you want to talk, just come in." She went back in and took a seat by the large piano in the room. Deciding to take that as an invitation, Amu sat down as well, a feet away from the twintailed blonde in case she accidentally angered her.

"I heard you singing back there. It was really good." Even though it was a compliment, Utau didn't look satisfied. "But I thought you quitted your singing career," she continued, "So why….?"

"For the school festival, I was asked to sing any of my songs. I only agreed because of a personal reason that I have. Don't get your hopes up. I don't plan on returning to my singing career any time soon."

"I wasn't thinking about that." Amu had already guessed that Utau only agreed for some special reason. Considering that this was a public figure she was talking to, she didn't want to pry any further about it. In her opinion, the idol was more unapproachable than Rima.

Utau looked at the poster that hung in the corner of the room. It was advertising the haunted house event Rima's class was holding. "So Mashiro's class is doing a haunted house?" she asked out loud to no one in particular. She let out a snort, "I honestly don't get what runs through that girl's mind. How can she let something slide when she knows her peers and even her own teachers are talking behind her back? I would've told them off a long time ago."

"Not everyone starts out strong," Amu pointed out, "Sometimes it takes time for someone to gather up the courage to do something." Utau stared at her, silent. It didn't look like her opinion of Rima changed one bit though.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Amu asked. Utau had told her that they were once close. She couldn't understand what happened between them that caused them to drift apart. "Sure Rima may be cold, but I won't say she's heartless."

"I don't hate her because I think she's heartless. I just don't like the way she acts towards certain things."

"Like what?"

Utau stared out of the window, staring at the distant shape of the town's buildings, "I told you once, right? That Mashiro once had a friend a long time ago. A boy. They made a promise that whenever the time came, they'll always be there for each other. But…." The look in her violet eyes grew serious, "….then that incident happened."

"What incident?" She was almost afraid to know.

"At the age eleven, Rima got kidnapped. I'm not sure of the exact details but all I know is that it traumatized her and her parents started picking her up every day after that."

"What does this have to do with her relationship with her friend?"

"I don't know if he knew that she got kidnapped, but he tried to comfort her. He tried to make her smile. But she only pushed him away, and said things that were over the top. It became a big fight and they lost touch after that. Even though he acted like he was mad at her, I'm sure that he was upset by what she said to him."

Amu had always thought that Rima being picked up every day after school as a common thing for all rich parents to do for their kids. She would never have suspected it was because her parents were being overprotective. Come to think of it, Rima barely mentioned her parents to her at all. She only spoke about her family yesterday and rarely said anything about her friend, the one she was obviously very fond of.

"…..Maybe the reason she pushed him away was because she knew that there was no way he could help her," she said.

Utau's face creased into a frown, "What do you mean?"

"It's always reassuring to know that someone is there, worrying about you, and wants to make you feel better. But sometimes, you just don't know what to say to that person and it's something that you can't just easily relieve that person of. Sometimes you face a problem that can't be wiped away with warmth and love. It's something that you may have to take care of yourself. If you desperately want to help that person, than just be there for him or her. And wait until he or she is finally ready to speak."

"…Doesn't that make you feel helpless though? Just watch your friend fall to pieces?"

Amu shrugged, "Maybe. But if I was in their shoes, I would be happy enough to know that my friend was that worried about me."

"So you're saying it's her friend's fault."

"I'm not saying it's anybody's fault. I'm just giving a possibility."

Utau was deep in thought, considering it. "I still don't like her," she said after a moment's thought. Amu sweatdropped. So much for trying to make her like Rima.

* * *

The two parted on nice terms, with Amu telling her that she looked forward to hearing her sing at the school festival. Utau said that then she'll be looking for her face in the crowd.

Posters for the school festival were lined up in a row as Amu walked past them. One of them advertised a badminton tournament and another advertised a dance party hosted by two classes. She couldn't help but feel a little anticipation for the school festival. It was hard to believe she once hated making a life in this town. Now she couldn't imagine what life would have been like if her grandparents never passed away and didn't ask for them to take care of their house in their will.

"Wah!" A loud thump was accompanied by the sudden shout. Amu looked up to see Nikaidou on the floor, papers flying everywhere. He was rubbing the back of his head in pain.

"Ow…." he moaned, "I tripped again…."

"Are you alright, sensei?" Amu immediately bent down to pick up all of the papers he dropped.

He laughed merrily, "Nice to see you again, Himamori-san." He didn't look a bit bothered by his fall.

"For the last time, it's Hi_na_mori." She noticed one of the papers had the words: "School Festival Meeting" written on it.

Nikaidou swiftly took back the stack of papers in her hands, "Now, now. It's impolite to look into people's things, Himamori-san."

Ignoring what he said, she asked, "Are the teachers having a meeting about the school festival?"

"Actually not yet. I just came back from helping one of the teachers with the event his homeroom class is doing. I'm still surprised that they let the haunted house thing by."

"Oh yeah. Do you think....you know....the demons will come back?"

"I doubt it. It's only by chance a demon would come to this school. Besides, you can never tell with demons."

"I guess." She strongly wished that no demons would show up during the school festival. Things had been so peaceful lately. It would be a shame for the peace to be broken on such a fun day like the school festival.

"The haunted house is progressing quite nicely. Mashiro-san even suggested some ideas for it."

"Really?" She never imagined Rima participating in class, given her attitude towards P.E. "She doesn't seem to be the type."

Nikaidou's smile, if possible, grew even wider, "I know, right? Maybe she changed for the better. Then again, you can never tell what is on Mashiro-san's mind, considering that she burned herself in middle school with no clear reason."

Amu froze, "What did you say?" The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees, as she waited for him to answer.

He cocked an eyebrow, "You don't know? At 7th grade, Mashiro-san once tried to burn herself with a box of matches."

* * *

**I am having so much fun with this. x3 I have something big in store for Rima. Two actually. (At the moment only though.) Fuhuhuhu...... The song Utau sings is "Blue Moon" by Nana Mizuki, for those of you who don't know. **


	31. Chapter 31

The sun's rays of light filled the room before it vanished from sight. Amu leaned her back against an arm chair, her face illuminated by the light of her laptop. Her mouse hovered over the link: Incidents Relating to the Mashiro Family. She clicked on it, brought to a website with a news article. Her golden eyes scanned the web page, searching for any info relating to Rima burning herself when she was in middle school.

She pulled her face away from the screen, disappointed. There was no information about it. It was all about the kidnapping incident.

Even though Amu held no dislike towards her teacher, Nikaidou, she couldn't help but feel that he was lying through his teeth. She refused to accept it. There was no way Rima would be that traumatized to go that far.

"The daughter of the Mashiro family, Rima Mashiro, was kidnapped yesterday," read the article, "Rima Mashiro was late coming from school to home. It was around that time she was approached by a group of suspicious men. She tried to get away but they knocked her out with some sleeping gas. The police managed to save her, finding her in a locked storage room. No serious injuries were found on the girl. The Mashiro family got their daughter back safe and sound but accused the school responsible for the incident. They said that the school should have checked and make sure that all of their students had gone home straight away. It is unknown if…."

Amu stopped reading. It occurred to her how the scenario went. Rima had spent most of afterschool with her friend and lost track of time. She realized it was late, and ran home as fast as she could. However, before she could reach home, she got kidnapped and was in a locked storage room for who knows how long. This incident caused her parents to make the decision to move to the town Aneko Mashiro was living in at the time.

She closed her laptop shut with a soft click. She wondered how Rima's friend must have felt during the time. Was he aware of how it happened? How did Rima acted towards to him the day after? Or was she kept home by her parents?

Amu let her gaze shift from her laptop to the table in the room. The ghosts were huddled around it, looking at something. Curious, she leaned back, trying to get a better look. When she saw what it was, her face twitched.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Hm?" They were all holding posters advertising events taking place at her school's festival. The last thing she wanted was the ghosts to come on that day.

"How did you get that?" Last time she checked, none of the ghosts were at her school. Unless one of them followed her in a similar fashion like Ikuto did on her first day.

"I got them from a friend at your school." Amu turned around. The voice belonged to the ever-so cheerful Tsukasa, "He said I was welcome to come if I wanted to." His smile seemed kind of odd, like a child trying to look innocent when scolded by his mother.

"B-But…." She didn't want the ghosts to find out about it! She was certain that they were going to create some trouble at the festival for her to clean up. Yet, she couldn't help but feel some kind of relief knowing that there was a chance that the ghosts would come.

"I want to go the badminton tournament!" Kukai exclaimed. He was waving the poster of the event in the air. Kairi, who was sitting next to him, was looking through a couple of posters, all the while muttering: "Interesting…."

Tadase stared at a poster full of stuffed dogs. Bliss was written on his face, "So cute…." Nagihiko stared at the poster in his hand, silent. Taking a closer look, Amu saw that it was a poster advertising the café Yaya's class was doing. A picture of several girls in colorful kimonos holding trays in their hands and a girl dressed in an elaborate kimono dancing with a white paper fan in her hand. At first, she was in awe of how elegant and graceful the girl was. But the longer she stared at it, the more picture started to tug at her heart. A wave of nostalgia overcame her.

"Why are you two so glum?" Kukai wrapped an arm around Amu and Nagihiko.

"It's nothing," the two of them said quickly. Ikuto stared at her, knowing that something was up. He looked at the poster in his hand.

"You're not on here," he said.

"Huh?" She went over to him and saw that he was looking at the poster advertising the café her class was doing. "Oh. I wasn't the one who did the poster. My classmate did."

He leaned back in his chair, "What a shame. You would've looked great in a maid outfit." The other ghosts looked up sharply from their posters. Kairi blinked, at a loss for words. Kukai looked from Amu to Ikuto, wondering what her response was going to be to that. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow and looked the other way, pretending that he didn't hear anything. Tadase was the most uncomfortable out of all of them, his uneasiness growing with each passing second.

Amu's face flushed a deep tomato red. How could he say something like that so freely?! And in front of the other ghosts, no less! Just before she could yell at him for making perverted comments, a sudden shout caught her attention.

"Sis! Sis!" Ami rushed into the room and suddenly flung herself at Amu, startling her.

"Ah! What's gotten into you, Ami?!"

Ami's eyes looked up at her, pleading, "Akki's gone missing, sis!"

* * *

"Akki!" Amu shouted. She moved aside a couple of tree branches, "Akki!"

They were all searching for Akki outside of the mansion. Tadase suggested that it was the most likely place he would go to, in case he just went out for a little fresh air. But they could not see a single trace of the dog anywhere. Nagihiko even tapped his food dish, hoping that he would come over to them thinking it was lunchtime. Kukai and Kairi both got back from their searches.

"Did you find him?" Amu asked them. They shook their heads. She rubbed her temples out of frustration. Where could the dog be? Even though she wasn't particularly close with Akki, she felt a big sisterly-like affection for the dog.

"Sis!" Ami ran out of the woods, closely followed by Ikuto, "There's this strange shrine!"

"Shrine? What shrine?" Both Amu and the ghosts were confused. As long as memory served, they could not recall a shrine in the premises of the mansion.

"Over here!" She directed them through a dirt pathway full of lumpy tree roots and low tree branches. Amu nearly slipped, but Tadase swiftly grabbed her hand just in time.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…" She steadied herself by holding onto his arm, carefully making her way over the large roots on the ground.

"There it is!" Ami shouted, pointing. A small building built on wooden beams with a thatched roof stood in a clearing. Amu remembered the lady at the temple saying that Aneko moved to the mansion because she was looking for a particular shrine. She wondered if this could possibly be the shrine she was talking about.

She slowly came closer, each step heavy with caution. She opened the doors and saw that the interior was covered in cobwebs and dust. Unlit candles were arranged in a row. Various scrolls with painted pictures of people dressed in religious-like robes lined the walls. She went in deeper, stopping before an empty wooden stand. It seemed to be used to hold some kind of book. Wait. Some kind of book….

She shifted her gaze upwards and saw a single painted portrait in front of her. It portrayed a woman dressed in a shrine robe and had steel cold honey-colored eyes. It was a portrait of Reiki Chiyoko, the head priestess mentioned in the legend of Harima. Her eyes widened in realization when she remembered that the priestess had a certain task given to her by the Phantom Lord.

"Amu-chan!"

Amu turned around and saw that the ghosts had not moved from their spots before the shrine. Nagihiko struggled to rise his feet from the ground and looked like he was blocked by some invisible wall.

"We can't….get closer….." he said.

"Arf! Arf!"

"Akki!" The cream-colored dog ran up to Ami, wagging his tail. He barked loudly, jumping up and down. He motioned his head towards the back of the shrine. Akki broke away from Ami's embrace and ran off.

"Akki, come back!" Amu shouted, following the dog as fast as she could. Akki stopped before a well made up of stones, placing his paws on top of it. Looking inside, Amu could see a long wooden ladder leading down to the depths of the well. Akki barked again, pawing the well with a whine.

"I think he wants us to go down," said Tadase. The ghosts managed to get to the well despite the invisible barrier surrounding the shrine.

"But it's a well. Won't there be water at the bottom?" Amu asked.

Kairi shook his head, "Impossible. This well hasn't been used in probably a billion of years. Plus, we'd smell some unpleasant odor right now if there's still water down there."

"I'm going down," Kukai announced, "If you hear some loud splash, than you know whether or not there's water down there." They made way for him as he steadied himself on top of the well's rim. Without a moment of hesitation, he jumped off. A loud thump sounded when he landed.

"It's safe!" he shouted from below, "There's some kind of secret passage here!" The other ghosts followed his example, jumping down to join him. Nagihiko took Akki with him, carrying the dog in his arms. Both Amu and Ami decided to take the safe way, descending down from the ladder.

When they were all finally at the bottom, Amu saw a hallway leading them forward. A damp scent filled the air. Moss grew on the aged stone bricks. Small oil lamps hung on metal hooks hammered into the wall.

Ikuto frowned, "…It looks like someone was here before us." Akki wagged his tail, running forward, undaunted by the possible dangers before them. Deciding to trust the dog's instincts, they went after him. He stopped before a fork in the road. There were three pathways to choose from.

"Looks like we have to split up," said Nagihiko, "I'll go with Kairi. Tadase, you go with Kukai and Ami-chan. Ikuto, you pair up with Amu-chan and Akki."

"What?!" Why did she have to get paired up with Ikuto of all people?! Ikuto didn't seem happy either, glancing at the dog next to him, displeased.

Nagihiko didn't even stop to reply. He went with Kairi down one path. Tadase took Ami's hand and took the path to the right with Kukai. He briefly turned his head to look back before he was completely swallowed up by the darkness.

"They left us." Akki rushed towards the only pathway left, the middle. Ikuto, with hands placed casually in his pockets, went after him. Sullen, Amu followed suit.

* * *

Ami shivered, "It's cold." Kukai took off his jacket and placed it around Ami's shoulders. He checked his surroundings. Water pipes were nailed to the damp brick walls. He placed his hands on one of pipes. Rust ate away at the metallic surface, coloring a deep crimson shade.

Ami's hand reached out to do the same but Tadase stopped her, "Don't. It could burn your hands. We can't feel it because we don't have a sense of touch." They continued down the wall, looking at the setting with a wary eye.

"There's a dead end." The end of the hallway had a strange metal box with various pipes attached to it. A panel of controls was contained within the box. It was probably for maintaining the water system. Kukai leaned against the wall, "Guess there was no point coming here." Both Tadase and Ami sat down, relived to have a moment's rest. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes.

Tadase was the one who broke the silence, "Don't you think Hinamori-san express herself more around Ikuto than the rest of us?"

Kukai stared at him, "What brought this up all of the sudden?"

He sighed heavily, "It's just….I don't know how to say it. Around me, I always see Hinamori-san smiling or depressed. Around Ikutonii-san, she's not afraid of being mad at him, or expressing whatever feeling she has to him. You know that saying, right? 'Those who fight are close.'"

"So you wish that you were like that with Hinamori…." Kukai mumbled. Tadase nodded his head, smiling sadly.

"Sis is always like that," Ami said suddenly, "A long time ago, she didn't have that many friends. So she always feels self-conscious when she expresses herself before someone. It takes time for her to warm up to someone." She smiled at Tadase, "So don't feel bad about it, okay? Because I'm sure one day, sis won't be afraid of expressing herself before you."

Kukai ruffled Ami's hair, "You heard the girl. Just give her some time. And maybe by then your relationship with her had developed some more."

"I guess….."

Suddenly, one of the water pipes burst, a large spray of steaming water pouring into the path. Ami screamed when she felt the droplets of water hit her skin. It was extremely hot. Tadase acted quickly and summoned a large golden barrier to shield them from his palm. Kukai made sure that Ami was between them so the water won't touch her. The water backed them up against the wall, giving them no other way to escape.

* * *

"Great. A dead end."

Amu felt the brick wall that blocked their path. There was no way around it. Akki lowered to the ground, a deep growl emitting from his throat.

Ikuto stretched his arms, "Guess we have to go back." Amu was about to turn around when she noticed that Akki had not moved from his spot before the wall. He was pawing it cautiously, still growling.

"Akki, we have to go," she told him, "There's nothing here." Akki ignored her, whimpering softly. Ikuto turned around to see what was going on. He glanced at the wall, his violet eyes filled with suspicion. He raised his hand in the air, a transparent cat paw emerging from it.

"He wants us to smash it," he said.

Amu looked at him like he had lost his mind, "Are you crazy?! It's a dead end. There's nothing behind it."

He readied his cat paw, "We won't know until we do." The transparent blue blur struck against it, the bricks immediately falling into the ground, producing a large dust cloud. Amu coughed, waving the dust away so she could see. When the dust cleared, revealing what was hidden behind the bricks, she gasped, clinging onto Ikuto's sleeve from shock.

"What are you doing?" Ikuto asked her, "You're squeezing my arm too hard."

"L-Look over there," she said shakily, pointing to the thing before them. When he saw what it was, if it was possible, the color drained from his face.

The dim light of the oil lamps illuminated the sight of a skeleton, which was now partially covered in bricks. Several cobwebs could be seen near the armbone. A lone black spider crawled out of the skeleton's empty eyehole. Akki's ears shot up, backing away in fear. The two couldn't even guess who would die in a place like this and have his or her corpse hidden behind a wall of bricks. Amu let go of Ikuto's sleeve and came closer for a better look. Ikuto made a face at this, as if he didn't want her to let go.

The skeleton was propped up against the wall in a sitting position. The skull hung from the spinal cord, as if the person's head was lowered in deep sleep. Amu carefully moved aside the bricks, not wanting to accidentally touch the skeleton. When she finished putting aside all of the bricks, it was revealed that the skeleton was still wearing its clothes before its body wore away. It wore a long dress worn out and wrinkled from age. She felt a strange sympathy for the skeleton. The person never got his or her proper burial.

"Come on, Amu," said Ikuto, "We have to go back." She got up and gave one final glance at the skeleton. She wondered about the ghosts. What were their funerals like? Did their families and friends shed enormous amount of tears as expected to react on such a sad event? Or was one not even held? She found herself staring at Ikuto, her golden eyes filled with empathy.

Noticing this, he said, "Amu." He leaned forward, "If you keep staring at me like that I'll have to kiss you."

If Amu was drinking anything, she would've spitted it out. Ikuto smirked when he saw the reaction on her face.

"Just kidding." He turned around, leaving a shocked Amu and an amused Akki. She then sighed heavily. Why did she even care?

* * *

Kairi safely directed a small stray mouse back to its mousehole. The mouse disappeared into the dark depths. With barely anyone maintaining this secret passageway, mice could be seen here and there once in a while. Nagihiko was tired. The pathway they picked seemed to be going on forever.

Kairi spoke up, "Nagihiko-sempai."

"Hm?"

Kairi lowered his head, looking down at the floor, "Don't you….sometimes envy Ikuto-sempai?"

Nagihiko frowned, "What do you mean?"

"He's never afraid of saying something that might anger Ojou-sama. He's not afraid of voicing what's on his mind around her." His face was covered by his dark green bangs, casting a shadow over his face. Nagihiko stared at him sympathetically.

"…..I don't think so. Ikuto just knows how to infuriate her and help her vent out her feelings. I won't say that he's not afraid of voicing his mind. Ikuto generally likes to keep things to himself."

"You know, sometimes I feel like you're talking from experience."

Nagihiko stared at him oddly, and then let out an awkward laugh, "Of course not. If I had a girlfriend I would've remembered her immediately."

"Nagihiko? Is that you?"

They looked up to see Kukai, Tadase, and Ami running towards them. He noticed that both Kukai's and Tadase's jacket were missing. A black jacket covered Ami's shoulders, but it was only one.

"What happened to your jackets?" asked Kairi.

Kukai grinned sheepishly, "It's….kind of complicated."

"Arf! Arf!" Akki appeared from behind them, closely followed by Amu and Ikuto. All of them gathered together, relieved to see each other safe and sound.

"So can we get out of here now?"

Kairi shook his head, "There's something blocking the path. It's some kind of wall." Up ahead, a smooth wooden wall created a dead end to the hallway. Kukai knocked his fist against it.

"Maybe we should just push it aside," he suggested, "See what happens." Tadase placed his hands on the wall and with a grunt, tried to push it forward.

"I think I felt it move!" he exclaimed. Hearing this, everyone leaned against the wall, and pushed it forward. As they moved the wall further, light poured into the room. They found themselves in a familiar-looking room with cardboard boxes and various bookshelves.

"Isn't this the basement?" Amu asked. They all got out and Tadase and Kairi pushed the bookshelf, which was the wooden wall that was blocking their way previously, back into place. Kukai placed his hands behind his head.

"We're finally back. I could really go for a jog outside." The other ghosts muttered in agreement. The secret passage felt a little cramped for all of them. They all went up the staircase, Amu briefly glancing back at the room.

Nagihiko remained at the spot where he was standing. For some reason, he was held back. The small round mirror in the corner of the room flashed, showing an image on its glass surface. A boy with long purple hair was shown. Nagihiko noticed how his features were strikingly similar to his'. Almost like the boy was a younger version of himself. The boy was in a bedroom of some sort, standing right next to a small bed on the floor. The rice paper door slid open, revealing an old lady with gray hair tied back in a bun. She wore a simple kimono and there were a few stress lines found on her face.

"Young master!" she said, "Where have you been?! Have you forgotten the dancing class you have this afternoon?! The lady-Oh my!" A woman with purple hair and amber eyes the same as the boy's appeared from behind her. She was dressed in a kimono like her, albeit more fancy-looking, and her eyes were stern. The old lady bowed her head in apology to her a couple of times, "I'm sorry, my lady! I had only went to attend my chores and found the young master missing from the room!"

"Don't worry about it, Baaya-san," the woman told her gently, "Let me deal with him. He's my son." The lady bowed again, this time in gratitude. She sent the boy an apologetic look and left him alone with the woman. The stern look in her amber eyes had not changed one bit. "Have you realized what you have done?"

"Yes," he replied hoarsely.

"Do not think I have not noticed what you have been up to. You always come back home from school, go out somewhere, and then come back. You've been keeping this up for nearly three years. Usually you would come back just in time for your lessons and because of that I decided not to comment on it, but now it is enough. It is clear that you are forgetting what's important."

"I'm nearly twelve, okay? I have the freedom to do whatever I want."

"That doesn't give you the excuse to neglect your dancing lessons. I know you are a boy, and wish you would sometimes spend just one day as one, but pretending to be a girl is part of your family's tradition. Your father met me that way and he was perfectly fine with it." Despite her tone, the volume of her voice didn't raise at all. The boy on the other hand, was getting increasingly infuriated by the second.

"You don't understand! This friend is precious to me!"

"Than tell your friend that you simply just can't spend anytime with him or her anymore."

"I can't tell her that! We've been friends for three years! I can't just end it because of some family tradition!" The woman seemed to taken back by the look on his face, clearly not used to seeing her son getting so worked up over a friend before.

"Nagihiko..." she muttered. The younger Nagihiko left the room without another word, his footsteps echoing loudly in the hallway as his feet went against the floor. The image was growing faint, almost fading away. Nagihiko could barely make it out anymore. The only thing he could see was the woman shaking her head, saying something.

"You are becoming a man much faster than I realized," she said. The image then faded away, now only a reflection of the contents of the room showing on the glass surface.

* * *

**This chapter was originally going to show another prophecy but then I decided not to put it in, because the prophecy doesn't really happen until near the end of the story so there was no need. Plus, I wanted to put something in this chapter about Rima's relationship with Nagihiko, so the prophecy ended up getting cut out. I'll get to it sometime in the future. **


	32. Chapter 32

**ShugoFanGal: Really? I'm a professional? 0_0 I think I'm still a far way off from being a professional writer. Turning it into a book sounds appealing, but I think it would be too long for one. xD**

**iiPaNdaRaWrz: She is. But Nagihiko doesn't know that yet though. :P**

* * *

Rima hated fire. But it was not with a passion. Her heart was long ago frozen, surrounded by a thick wall of ice. It would probably take something like a mine pick to hack away at the ice that housed the feelings beneath the surface. But she made sure that her feelings would remain forever at a freezing temperature. Feelings such as anger or love would melt away the ice, the barrier no longer having any use. And so, she let herself succumb to the ice to oppose against the element she so dearly disliked. Fire is often associated with courage, anger, and passion. Feelings she promised to no longer show on her face. Fire is a destructive force, unstoppable once it spreads. It always seem to burn away whatever she held dear into ashes. It would grow quickly once it started; giving her no time to recover what it took from her. The ashes would only fall through her fingers, with no definite solid shape she could hold onto for comfort.

* * *

"Huh? Rima-tan burned herself?"

Amu was at Yaya's house, thinking that if anyone else knew something about Rima, it would be Yaya. The brunette was changing Tsubasa's diaper, holding it away from her as far away as possible. Tsubasa was in his crib, his hands reaching out to touch two stars that hung from the mobile above him.

Amu nodded, "Yeah. That's what Nikaidou-sensei told me. I thought if anyone would know about it, it would be you, Yaya."

Yaya dumped Tsubasa's diaper into a trash can, "Yaya doesn't even know anything about it. She only knows that Rima-tan got kidnapped. Not that she burned herself. Rima-tan didn't attend middle school here, so Yaya doesn't think a lot of people would know about it. She moved to Harima during her freshman year. Maybe you can ask Utau Hoshina."

Amu took a carton of orange juice and filled a glass. She gingerly took a sip, "I thought about it, but I don't think I should." The topic of Rima seemed to be a touchy subject to talk about with the idol. Plus, Amu wasn't exactly sure if she would tell her everything. It wasn't that she didn't trust Utau. It was just that she had a feeling that Utau's narration of things might demonize Rima.

After putting a fresh new diaper on Tsubasa, Yaya wiped off her hands with some baby wipes, "Then ask Rima-tan's parents. They should know, right?"

"I don't know…" Amu wasn't sure how Rima's parents would react if she asked such a question.

Yaya wrote something down on a slip of paper. She handed it over to her, "Here. This is Rima-tan's home phone number."

Amu took the paper, punching the numbers into her cellphone. She then placed it to her ear, anxiously waiting for a response. A few minutes passed until someone picked up the phone.

"_Hello?"_ asked a deep voice at the other end of the line.

"Um….Are you one of Rima Mashiro's parents?" she asked.

"_Yes. Who is this?" _The person on the phone must be her father, Amu guessed.

"I'm Amu Hinamori. A...companion of Mashiro-san."

"_I see. What do you want?"_ He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Is it true that Mashiro-san burned herself with a box of matches before?"

A long silence came from the other end of the phone. Amu held her breath, almost afraid that he might get mad at her asking such a sudden personal question.

"_I'm sorry," _he said finally, _"But I'm afraid that you are mistaken. Our daughter, Rima, would never do such a thing." _Rima's father hung up, the phone line now dead.

* * *

"No, that Mashiro girl is not with me."

Amu was talking with Nobuko Saeki, who was currently shopping in a convenience store. Some of the other shoppers stared at them, surprised to see someone on TV here to do some shopping. Amu groaned in exasperation. After the phone call, she had no other choice but to confront Rima about it directly. And now she couldn't find her.

"She only stayed at my place for a few minutes and then left," said Nobuko. She examined a packet of pickled plums in interest. "She wanted me to do some fortunetelling for her."

Amu was interested, "What is it?"

Nobuko placed a finger on her chin, trying to remember, "What was it….? Oh yes! I saw something that looked like the inside of a haunted house….some kind of blue demon…and somebody that I think could be a boy….Or was it a girl?" Then she realized something, "Come to think of it, I never gave you a fortune did I? How I about I give you one right now? Free of charge."

Before Amu could protest, Nobuko leaned forward, her face creased as she tried to concentrate. She smelled of peanuts and perfume.

"I see a news article…a temple in the rain…a giant teddy bear…a sword…and a full moon," she murmured. Amu sweatdropped. What kind of fortune telling was that?

Nobuko straightened her back, "Sorry. I probably would have given you a more accurate fortune if I had my crystal ball with me."

"_No duh," _Amu thought. She could barely understand that one. But she remembered the various objects in her bedroom that she couldn't recall where and how she got them. A giant teddy bear was one of them. The others were a bunch of trinkets that for some odd reason, she regarded with a strong sentimental value. Just like Rima's burnt gag manga.

* * *

Amu stared down at her homework, unable to concentrate. Her mind was filled with questions about Rima. Why was it that she always got more questions than answers? She slammed down her pen, giving up.

At that precise moment, Kairi entered the room. He was carrying a featherduster in his hand. Amu remembered the ghosts mentioning that Kairi could easily gather information on anyone. Her heart lifted at the prospect of hope.

"Kairi!" She ran up to him, "Do you think you can get information on Rima Mashiro?"

"I'm sorry but I can't fulfill that request," he replied.

Amu was disappointed, "Why?"

"She's an exorcist," he said, "I am a ghost. I highly doubt my meddling won't go unnoticed. Not to mention, both of her parents are influential figures in the business world. I'm sure that any personal information on Rima Mashiro excluding anything that was leaked to the public, would be tightly sealed and have a hard time to get access to." The pinkette's shoulders slumped. If Kairi couldn't do anything for her, than did she really have to confront Rima about it directly? The only option she had was to ask her about it at school. That is, if one of her fanboys wasn't with her.

"I think I do know a little stuff about her though."

She perked up, "Really? Like what?"

"It's mostly information regarding her aunt who once owned this house: Aneko Mashiro-san. She bought and lived in this mansion during her late 20's. She later sold it to a person who claimed to be a scholar heavily interested in the paranormal."

"But Mashiro-san hasn't moved into Harima around that time, right?"

"Yes. Aneko Mashiro stayed at a house of a close friend in the town after she sold the mansion. Rima Mashiro-san's family is known to visit sometimes during vacation. After a couple of years, Aneko Mashiro came down with a horrible sickness and soon died in her sleep a few days later. Her body was cremated and was given a burial."

"What was the name of the person she sold the house to?"

Kairi shrugged, "I don't know. Amakawa-san has refused to give me any information regarding that."

"Hmm….." She tried to recall just exactly when her grandparents claimed the house. As memory served, her parents told her that her grandparents got the house around the time she was five. It was from there that she started visiting her grandparents and developed a strong dislike for the rumors about the house being cursed or having supernatural inhabitants.

* * *

The next day, Amu found Rima at her usual spot by the school's garden shed. She silently turned a page of her burnt gag manga. Her bento box sat next to her, remaining untouched. A soft giggle escaped Rima's lips as she read a page. A feeling of guilt filled Amu's heart. If she asked Rima about burning herself, it would surely ruin her good mood. But it was something that simply couldn't be left to the side.

"Mashiro-san."

Rima looked up from her gag manga and the smile was instantly dropped from her face, "Oh, it's you."

Amu sat down next to her. Rima turned her head back to her book. Several minutes passed by like this.

"…Is it good?"

"What?"

"Is it good?" Amu repeated, her finger pointing at the book in her lap. Rima stared down at it, silent. Amu realized it was turned to the page where the characters were doing the infamous comedic pose: Bala-Balance.

"It is," she answered finally, "But it's not only because it's funny. I had this book for a very long time. And…I never get tired of reading it."

"But it's burnt. What if it falls apart one day?" Judging the by the age and the state of the gag manga, it looked like it could barely keep itself together.

Rima wasted no time in giving her a response, "I'll just tape it back together then. It was my own fault that it got burnt in the first place anyway."

"Was it because you burned yourself?" Rima's head shot up sharply, her honey-colored eyes flashing. Amu swiftly placed her hands over her mouth. She didn't mean to ask that yet!

"How do you know that?" she demanded to know.

"I heard it from someone," Amu replied quickly. It was probably best not to mention any names. Rima rose up from her seat, taking her lunch and gag manga with her.

"It's none of your business," she said. She started to walk away.

"Rima!" Amu cried out, grabbing her hand. She wasn't so sure what caused her to go after her. She just blurted out Rima's first name without thinking. She glanced down, noticing the marks on her hand with a gasp. They didn't look serious, but a large brown mark covered Rima's hands. She jerked her hand away from Amu's grasp.

"You have no right to call me by my first name," she muttered. Amu watched her go without another word. She now knew for sure that it was true. Those burns confirmed it. And she had no idea what to do now.

* * *

Nightfall had come again. A clear sight of the Milky Way could be seen in the sky above the town of Harima. The two stars: Altair and Vega, were still on the opposite sides of the river of stars. The moon could be seen nearby the cluster, shining down on those who were wandering the streets at this time of day.

Rima silently walked down the streets, strange lights accompanying her wherever she went. She didn't exactly patrol the streets of Harima for demons like this every day. For her, it was a way to get out the house that seemed to close in on her, trapping her in a cage.

She stopped. Someone was following her. She closed her eyes and repeated a chant under her breath. Behind her, a portal of light surrounded by occult glyphs formed. The sound of the person's coat swishing in the wind told her that he or she had dodged the attack. She turned around to face her opponent.

He was seated on top of a black steel fence, his legs casually swinging back and forth in the air. A wide smirk was plastered over his face.

Rima's eyes narrowed in disgust. Of course it would've been him. No one else had a coat that long that could swish about in the wind.

"What do you want?" she asked at last.

Raiden produced a paper bag from his pocket, "Just wanted to say hello." He took out one melon bread, "Want some?" He waved it back and forth in front of her face.

"No," she replied icily. Raiden shrugged and took a huge bite out of it. ".....You're the one who gave Yaya the promise to save Tsubasa, right?"

He sniffed, "How rude, my little priestess. Just because you believe I tricked you long ago you accuse me of such a crime?"

"There's no one else in this world that would be as twisted as you are."

"I simply gave her an option. She had every right to say yes or no. She said yes, so that doesn't make me the culprit. Raiden doesn't have a single evil bone in his body." Then his face broke out into a wide smirk, "But he's no saint either."

"What exactly are you planning to do? Please don't tell me it's something stupid like: 'I want to become all powerful and invincible like God and have power over all of the forces of the universe.'"

Raiden looked strongly offended, "I am an atheist. There is no such thing as God. How can anyone have control over so much? There is no higher being up there. I simply just like toying with people. It's how I show my affection for them."

"Whether you're an atheist, a Buddhist, Christian, whatever, I don't like you. Get out of my face." The lights floating around Rima were growing along with her irritation.

He clicked his tongue, "Such harsh words. And here I was confessing my love. Keep that attitude up, later in life, you are going to become a grumpy woman with an unsuccessful job and spends every day of her life lamenting her singleness."

The ring of occult glyphs whirling around it at high speed, one of Rima's light flew straight at Raiden. He jumped skillfully, the attack only missing him by a few inches. However, it did manage to make a small tear at the end of his coat. Satisfied, Rima walked down the sidewalk, not even staying to see the aftereffects of her assault. Raiden landed on top of a lamp post, checking his coat.

"What did you do that for?!" he complained, "My poor coat is already old and battered. Maybe I should get myself a new one…" He sat down perfectly, his legs balancing at both sides of the lamp. He finished off the last of his melon bread. Raiden took in a deep breath and let out a loud laugh. "Oh how I love melon bread!" he shouted for no particular reason whatsoever.

Rima made a mental note to take some aspirin the second she got home.

* * *

**Rima apparently knows Raiden, and just like everyone else, they're not exactly friends since Rima doesn't trust him and Raiden is just...Raiden. Amu's fortune is probably not going to make a lot of sense to some people because it's about several events that occurs at different times. Next chapter once again focuses on Rima and...let's just say that something bad happens to her. Very, very bad.**


	33. Chapter 33

He stared at her blankly, his amber eyes reading bewilderment. Rima wasn't so sure if she should be amused by his reaction.

"Is it that bad?" she asked teasingly.

"W-Why didn't you tell me?" he managed to sputter out.

Rima shrugged, "You never asked. It's nothing you should be concerned about anyways."

"But I know you for about a year already! So not knowing your birthday is…."

"Embarrassing? I told you many times before; I don't need a gift from you. I'm fine with everything as it is." It was true. She couldn't imagine anything else she would need. Just spending a day with him was satisfying enough.

The boy fell silent, deep in thought. Then he came into a decision. He looked so serious that she was taken back a little. Suddenly, he took hold of her hand and pulled her along as he led her out of the basketball court.

"What…What are you doing?! Let go!" Rima struggled to break free from his grip, failing due to his surprising strength.

He turned his head to look at her, a small smile on his face, "I won't be able to meet you at your birthday. So I'll treat you by taking you anywhere you want."

* * *

A sharp blow of the whistle sounded. Amu's feet sprang off the ground, going into a sprint. The other kids took off as well, their feet pounding hard against the ground. There was gym class today. The teachers watched them go, making sure that none of the students were stopping to take a breath.

After yesterday, things were pretty tense between Amu and Rima. Every time she saw her coming Rima would either walk away or have her fanboys shield her from sight. Amu couldn't blame her. She herself was still in a daze over the discovery of the burn scars on Rima's hands.

"No lagging in the back! Pick up the pace!"

Amu cringed at the volume of her gym teacher's voice. She could imagine who he was yelling at. She looked back to see Rima walking behind the rest of the students instead of running like everyone else. This wasn't good. The gym teacher already managed to make her leave her gag manga behind in the locker room instead of bringing it with her to class like she usually did. Not following the teacher's directions was really pushing it.

"Look at her. Who does she think she is, acting like she's better than everyone else?" said one of the girls in disdain.

One of Rima's fanboys overheard her comment, "That's because Mashiro-san _is_ the best. You guys don't see a charm in a real girl." They continued to argue, exchanging insults. Amu wondered if any of Rima's fanboys meant it when they said they would devote their lives to loving her. Nah. That wasn't possible. She herself had some fanboys, granted a fewer number in comparison to Rima's, so she knew the line between actual love and idolization.

A certain girl didn't join the conversation. Like her, she watched them dispute in silence, except her face read guilt for some odd reason. Amu stared at her, curious. It was quite rare to find some girls that didn't hold some kind of dislike towards Rima.

"She's absolutely conceited. No way would I want to be friends with her."

"…….." She hung her head, obviously not liking the comments she was hearing about Rima.

* * *

When Amu told Yaya about what happened during gym, tears started to well up in her eyes.

"That's….That's…." River of tears started to stream down her face and she was soon bawling quite loudly. "WAAHH!!!" Several people looked up at the sound of her crying. "That's so mean! Rima-tan's not like that at all!"

Amu sweatdropped, "Why are you the one crying?"

"Because it's not the truth! Rima-tan is really a nice person at heart, I know it! She just needs time to open up to people."

"….You know sometimes I feel like you understand Mashiro-san better than most people," said Amu.

Yaya wiped away her tears, sniffling, "Yaya doesn't think so. Even though Rima-tan treats her differently from other people, Yaya doesn't feel she's close with Rima-tan at all. She thinks we're friends but um….not exactly best, _best_ friends."

"Best friends….What exactly does Mashiro-san consider a best friend?" Amu asked out loud to herself. She thought about the friend Rima had ages ago. Did he also have problems trying to make the cold short blonde warm up to him? Or did he have it easy because Rima was supposedly much sweeter back then?

* * *

Rima placed her briefcase on her desk. She had just come back from about a half of an hour of scowling by her gym teacher. She heard the same things so many times that it annoyed her to no end. She opened her briefcase, taking out her bento box for lunch. She quickly noticed that something was missing.

Alert, Rima took all of her schoolbooks out of her briefcase and shook it up and down. Nothing came out. Her gag manga wasn't there at all. She checked her desk, but there was no trace of the book there either. She stared at her bag in a daze, unable to move or speak.

This wasn't the first time this happened. Memories tried to resurface in her mind but she shook her head furiously before they could do so. She wouldn't let herself think that. There was only one place where it could be. The locker room.

She rushed out of the room, failing to notice a girl staring after her sympathetically.

* * *

Rima swung open the door to the gym locker room. No one was here. She walked down the aisle of lockers, trying to remember which locker she used during gym class. She stopped before a locker in the back of the room. The metal door hung on its hinges, leaving the contents of the locker for all to see.

It was empty. Nothing was in there.

Her heart sank with dread. How? How could this happen? She always kept it beside her. And now of all times she had to lose it.

The slam of the door echoed in the room. A sense of déjà vu overcame her. Her head throbbed as she briefly recalled something from long ago.

"_Get in there!" _a man shouted. She remembered being pushed forward, falling right on the ground. The door slammed shut, leaving her alone in the darkness. A more powerful throb of pain struck her head, causing another memory to surface.

Giggles echoed in her head. But these giggles weren't friendly sounds of laughter. They were sinister, full of cruelty. She clutched her head with her hands, desperate to get rid of the noise. It was that memory again. No matter what she did it always seem to come back to haunt her.

Someone was standing behind her. Rima could see the person's shadow casted on the ground. Judging by the size, she could tell the person was with other people too. Taking in a deep breath, she warily turned around to face the people who locked her in.

* * *

"Um….."

Both Amu and Yaya looked up at the sound of someone's voice. Amu instantly recognized her. It was the same girl that was in Rima's class. She looked soft-spoken, if not a little shy.

"….Are you….Hinamori-san and Yuiki-san?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you need something?"

"Well, I….."

"You're one of Rima-tan's classmates right? How is the haunted house coming along?" Yaya beamed, looking at her expectantly for an answer.

"….Very well, I guess. Everyone put together a lot of effort in order to make it successful."

Yaya stuck out her bottom lip, "You guys are so lucky. Yaya's class is still working on the preparations. Yaya has her kimono but she doesn't know a thing about traditional Japanese sweets."

"You don't like Japanese sweets?"

"They're still sweet, but Yaya prefers Western sweets. Doing all of this work for the school festival is boring."

"Preparing for the school festival can be really tough," the girl agreed.

"_Except most of the preparations are done by Yamabuki-san in my class," _thought Amu. She really didn't need to do anything aside from bringing some food and drinks, pass out the posters, and she already had an idea for her maid outfit.

"My class isn't even that close to finished," she continued, "We still have to design the haunted house. We already have some ideas and picked out the roles each person was going to do."

"What are you going to be?"

"I am the kind elderly woman who is actually a demon in disguise!" she said cheerfully. She seemed to be quite proud of the role. Both Yaya and Amu were silent, unsure of how to react.

"…..What else is going to be at the haunted house?"

She thought for a moment, "Let's see…A walking Japanese doll….A phantom that creeps in the attic….A Noh-masked murderer…..A giant centipede….A walking suit of armor….And a dragon that comes out of a scroll. There's a lot more but that's all I can remember."

"That's…pretty elaborate for a haunted house…." Amu was already getting shivers from the mere thought of it. Maybe she'll go to the haunted house later at the school festival. "Did you come up with them?"

She shook her head, "Not me. Mashiro-san was the one who-"She stopped, suddenly remembering something. "Oh no! I completely forgot the reason why I came to you in the first place!" She bowed her head several times in apology, "I'm so sorry!"

"No…You don't need to worry about it. So what was the reason you wanted to talk to us?"

The girl lowered her head, hesitant, "It's about Mashiro-san….."

This got their attention, "What about her?"

"…I don't know how to say it…"

* * *

A group of girls stood before Rima, their lips curved into a smug smirk. They were girls from her class. One of them suspiciously had her arms crossed behind her back. Rima tensed, mentally preparing herself for whatever may come next.

"Oh Mashiro-san? What a surprise to meet you here," one of them said, feigning surprise.

Her honey-colored eyes narrowed into slits, "What do you guys want?"

"Same attitude as ever. Can't you at least listen to what we have to say first?"

"I'm busy," Rima said coldly, "I don't have any time for you right now."

"Oh….? But aren't you looking for something? Something like….this?" She uncrossed her arms to reveal something in her hands. Rima's eyes widened in surprise. It was her gag manga. The burnt edges stood out as plain as day. An image flashed through her mind. The gag manga was held in someone's fingers, but the burnt edges weren't there. The body language was the same as this girl's. Teasing. Taunting.

* * *

"….I was a classmate of Mashiro-san's in middle school," said the girl, "The middle school her is exactly like the person she is right now. Cold, adored by her male classmates, and detested by her female classmates. She always carried around her gag manga whenever she went to school."

"If you're her classmate in middle school, then you know about the how she burned herself right?" Amu needed to know. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was going to learn something she didn't want to hear.

She nodded her head, "Yes…Except…."

* * *

It was happening all over again. Everything was happening exactly like on just that day. Images flooded Rima's mind, all going by so quickly that she couldn't pick out what they were. She felt as if she was being compressed tightly in a small space.

"It was so easy getting this from you that I almost felt like telling you I had it just to see the reaction on your face." She started flipping through the pages.

Rima's shoulders shook. Various emotions went through her body. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Nostalgia.

"Give it back," she muttered.

The girl ignored her, continuing to flip through the book, "Look at this!" The other girls laughed along with her when they saw what it was, "It's Bala-Balance! This is so old! I can't believe you actually read this stuff!"

Time seemed to go by slowly. Everything was in slow motion. It felt like it took forever. Her hand reached up to the page, fingering the edge. Within an instant, the page was torn out of the book, pieces of paper flying in the air. Rima's gaze followed it as it fell to the floor. The Great Gag Manga King's smile still shone brightly on the picture despite the damage inflicted upon him. The same smile that never showed on her face for years.

* * *

"….I still wished I would've told someone about it," the girl told Amu and Yaya, "Yet I was too chicken to tell anyone. That's why I came to you. You're friends of Mashiro-san right? You have to know the truth….otherwise…it might happen again…."

"What are you talking about?"

She grabbed her skirt, her hands shaking, "They were talking about it during lunch….They wanted to show her place once and for all….I wanted to stop them, but I couldn't say anything. But in all honesty, even I didn't know the true cruelty behind their intentions."

* * *

The girl gasped, bringing up her hands to her mouth. Rima continued to stare at the torn-out page, cold sweat dripping down her face.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to do that! It was all just an accident!" The other girls nodded their heads mournfully, their looks apologetic. Rima's head didn't even move to look at them. They frowned when they noticed that Rima didn't respond at all.

"Hey, isn't she supposed to be forgiving us at this point?" whispered one of the girls.

"Yeah. And she isn't even on her knees, begging for us to return the book," whispered another one of the girls back. No tears welled up in Rima's eyes. Nor did her face twisted with anger. Her expression was blank. The girls' words didn't reach her. Someone else's voice rang through her mind.

"_I'll treat you by taking you anywhere you want."_

_

* * *

_

"You know about the rumor? The one about Mashiro-san burning herself?" the girl asked. Amu nodded in response. Just where was this conversation leading to?

"It's….It's not true. Mashiro-san never burned herself. I was there. Believe me."

Amu was confused, "But…then how come she has marks on her hands?"

"Truth is, her classmates planned to humiliate Mashiro-san in some kind of way. They thought if they damaged her gag manga it would be able to make her crack. They stole her book and brought Mashiro-san to the classroom…..It was horrible. They made her watch as her book was being eaten away by the flames."

"So that's why…."

"I wasn't there when it happened. But I think she tried to get the book even though it was covered in fire. When I saw her, she didn't look bothered by it. The teachers found out, but the girls convinced them that they saw Mashiro-san trying to burn herself."

"She could've told them!" Amu cried out all of the sudden, "She had the burned up book and everything!"

"She tried to, Hinamori-san. The teachers didn't believe her. Her parents were called and then she transferred to another school."

If there was a table in front of them, the pinkette would've slammed her hands down on it. Why didn't she say anything when she asked her about it? She didn't attend her middle school. She could've easily told her and she would believe it instantly. So why?

A boy went up to them. Amu instantly recognized him as one of Rima's fanboys. "Hey, have you seen Mashiro-san? I can't find her anywhere."

The girl frowned, "I saw her leave the classroom. She should still be in school."

"Did you check the garden shed?"

"I went there. She's not there."

Someone overhead their conversation, "I saw Mashiro-san go into the girl's locker room. I was going to follow her, but boys aren't allowed in the girl's locker room. I think I saw a couple of girls went in there though….."

At those words, Amu ran off. Yaya called after her but she didn't dare stop. She already had an idea what those girls planned to do. Their gym teacher made her leave her gag manga behind in the locker room. She had no time. She could only pray for nothing bad to happen to Rima as she ran there.

* * *

"What's this? We apologized. Isn't that enough for you?" Rima remained silent, increasing the girls' frustration. Furious, the girl threw the gaga manga on the ground, getting Rima's attention. The book lay on the floor, open for grabs. She slowly took a step forward.

But before she could come any closer, the girl's foot stomped down on the book, the sole of her shoe making a mark on the already burnt cover. The face of the Great Gag Manga King was now smudged with dust. Her foot continuously stomped down on the cover. The book shook with each strike.

"_Why are you reading these, Rima?! They're nothing but a piece of junk!"_

"_Gag manga? Who reads those anymore?"_

The voices inside Rima's head grew with scorn and volume. They drowned out the sounds of her surroundings. But the scowling voices were not what were torturing her the most. It was the voice that addressed her with tenderness and affection.

"_Here. It's what you want right?"_

She wasn't so sure what compelled her to do what happened next. Maybe it was the weight of the guilt and nostalgia gathering up in her chest. Whatever it was, when she thought about it later, she didn't regret the action she took.

The moment the girl's shoe hovered in the air just for a second, Rima dove to the ground, her hands reaching out for the book. A sharp pain went through her arms as the girl continued to step hard on both the book and her hands. She was tempted to draw her hands away but she refused to do so. The memory of how she got the book was engraved deeply in her mind.

"Rima!" The door swung open with a loud bang. Footsteps echoed as the people came closer to where they were at.

"Crap! We're found out!" Rima's mind swam as many voices filled the room. She heard someone shout and a person gently picking her up. Her eyelids drooped as she embraced the fatigue threatening to overcome her.

* * *

**Yep. Rima never burned herself. It was just a nasty rumor invented by her classmates. =/ I have a feeling a lot of people thought that Nagihiko died when he tried to save Rima from burning herself. As for how he actually dies...I refuse to spoil anything. :3**

**This chapter was very dialogue-heavy. I just couldn't find the right place to put in some more description. **


	34. Chapter 34

**This is just a note regarding updates. Report cards are coming up this week and if I don't have any awesome grades, chances are that updates will become less frequent. Especially around times when I have to do a project or have a test coming up. (That's why I barely updated at all last week because of I had a bunch of tests coming up.)**

**Sparkly-Vampire-Wannabe: No. The girls were Rima's classmates. **

**PandaBear-36: Seriously? I never heard of the Mediator series. 0_0 ...I'm interested now. As for the dojo guy from Fruits Basket...I remember his name started with a "K". Kazuno? Kazune? I don't remember. I finished it a long time ago.  
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* * *

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Rima hummed happily as she looked through the shelves. They were filled with a variety of books. A few people would take one of the books out of the shelf and read to themselves quietly. But the books Rima were looking for were in a different section.

"I can't believe you wanted me to take you to a bookstore."

She turned around to see her friend, his hands placed in the pockets of his pants. He looked sorely disappointed.

"You said you would take me wherever I want. And this place I wanted to go to. So there."

"I didn't know you meant this!" he whispered.

"Well I'm sorry I didn't pick a place with the romantic setting you wanted, pretty boy," she said to him sarcastically. She shifted her attention back to the bookshelf. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the faint luminescent blush on the boy's face. The boy shook his head furiously and cleared his throat. Rima was looking around, noticing a section of bookshelves labeled: "Comedy".

"I'm going to check something," she told him, "I'll meet you at the counter later." Her friend nodded, now reading some shojo magazine from the magazine rack. She decided not to comment on the fact she just caught him reading a shojo manga magazine. She could always tease him about it later.

Rima was in awe of the number of gag manga on the shelves. Very few bookstores had a wide collection of gag mangas. Pleased, she took a couple of books she had not yet read. One book stuck out of the shelf, the words: "Great Gag Manga King" read on the spine. Her heart lifted with glee. It was a new series that came out. A lot of people said that it was very funny and never failed on making them rolling over with laughter. She reached out her hand, trying to get it. But her hand was still out of reach. Then she realized something.

It was on the top shelf. She was only four feet and five inches. The shelf towered over her like a giant, almost as if it was taunting her with its huge height. Rima looked around for some kind of footstool. She could've easily asked for someone to get it for her, but her pride refused to do so. A chair stood by a shelf of romance light novels. Making sure that no one was looking, Rima tried to lift it up while clutching some gag mangas to her chest with her chin. However, her stout arms couldn't manage holding onto a chair while concentrating on trying to carry her gag mangas. She tried several times, but failed. All of her books fell to the floor, and she immediately bent down to pick them up.

Her friend later found her in ball position, depression lines running down her forehead.

He sweatdropped, "What happened?" It was odd to see the passive girl deep in depression.

"I can't get it….I'm a failure as a lover of all comedy…." she muttered to herself. She rocked off her feet back and forth. She then let out a sigh, "Forget it. I'm just going to buy these and go." She stood up and was about to head for the counter when someone placed his hand on her shoulder. The boy presented her with the book she was longing to get.

"Next time, just ask me if you need help," he said. He then added, "Since I'm treating you today, I'll pay for your books."

"But you didn't-"she started to say but he already was heading for the counter. Rima glanced at the number of books she held in her arms.

Later, she ran up to meet him, placing her books on the desk. The lady behind the counter scanned each of them. He noticed there was something strange about the stack of books.

"I thought you had more books than that."

"Shut up," she retorted, avoiding his questioning gaze.

* * *

Amu opened the door to the infirmary. Yaya and the girl who talked to them earlier, followed her in. The nurse greeted them and gestured her hand to one of the beds in the corner. Amu gently pulled back the curtains, revealing a Rima in a curled up ball-like position. At first, Amu thought she was crying but when she turned to look at them, her honey-colored eyes were clouded, staring right past them as if they were part of the scenery.

Yaya immediately tackled Rima in a hug, "Rima-tan! Yaya was so worried about you!!" Rima didn't respond, though her face was turning blue from the lack of air.

Amu panicked, "Let her breath, Yaya!"

Yaya swiftly let go, making Rima stand upright again, "Ack! I'm so sorry, Rima-tan!...She's not talking to me, Amu-chi! Wait! Maybe it's because she couldn't breathe! What should we do?!"

"Y-Yuiki-san……"

"Maybe Yaya has to perform CPR!"

In that moment, Rima's hand clasped over Yaya's mouth, "I'm fine, thank you."

"She spoke!" Yaya hugged Amu, crying from relief. The pinkette patted her back awkwardly.

Rima blinked, "Why are all of you ogling at me like some brand new art exhibit?" Apparently her sarcasm and wit wasn't affected at all by the incident.

Amu remembered something, "Oh yeah." She took something out of her bag, "This is your book." The expression on Rima's face changed, and she took the book from her hands. She flipped to a page. The page had a picture of the Great Gag Manga King doing the Bala-Balance. The light from the window shone on the tape that bounded the page to the book.

"….You taped it back," she said at last.

"Yeah….." She remembered the words Rima said when she asked if she was afraid of the book falling apart one day.

"_I'll just tape it back together then."_

Rima sighed and shut the book closed. She noticed the girl standing right beside her bed, "Who's she?"

The girl bowed politely, introducing herself, "I'm Shizuka, remember Mashiro-san? I went to the same middle school as you." Rima just stared at her, making her nervous. "Um……"

"……Nice to meet you."

Pleased that she got a response, Shizuka once again bowed her head, "I-It's a pleasure to meet you too!"

The nurse came into the room, "Excuse me, Mashiro-san. Your parents are waiting for you at the gate." Her words caused Rima to look up sharply, clutching the gag manga even closer to her chest.

"…Tell them I'll be down in a few minutes," she said to the nurse. She nodded and exited the room. Once Amu was sure that the nurse was out of earshot, she decided now was the time to ask Rima her question.

"Mashiro-san."

"Hm?"

"…Why didn't you tell me the truth when I asked about you burning yourself? I didn't go to your middle school. I could've easily believed in your side of the story." Several minutes of silence passed as Rima thought about her question.

"…Even if I did told you the truth, what could have you done?" she asked. Rima looked at Amu straight in the eye, her face grim. Amu opened her mouth to speak but then shut it closed. She had a point. What could have she done? She couldn't say: "It's okay.", because it wasn't the truth. She was not that close to her. She had no right to say anything on the matter.

The nurse lifted the curtain and motioned towards her watch. Sighing, Rima stood up.

"…I'm leaving."

* * *

"Mashiro-san's nicer than I thought," commented Shizuka.

Yaya smiled proudly, "Yep! She's just stubborn that's all." They all decided to walk home together. They saw Rima off when her parents picked her up. Even though they managed to make Rima snap out of her daze, she still did not smile. Her face was expressionless as she shut the car door behind her. Amu was silent the rest of the way home. She was thinking about what Rima was going to do now. What will happen to those girls? They were obviously going to receive detention for their actions but how was Rima going to face her class? Not everyone in her class was like Shizuka, kind and sweet.

"We're going ahead, Amu-chi," said Yaya, causing her head to snap up in their direction. She waved goodbye, "See you tomorrow!"

Amu waved back, smiling weakly. She glanced to her left, her house seen above a couple of trees in the horizon. A distant shape of a black crow was seen in the sky, flapping its wings ever so slightly.

* * *

Raiden leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on top of the table. Nagihiko poured some tea into his teacup and then placed the teapot on the table. He also placed a plate of cookies alongside it. Eyeing Raiden warily, Nagihiko left the room without another word.

Raiden sniffed, "He didn't even say goodbye."

"One: Because you once plotted to torture him ruthlessly back in the spirit world. Two: he has a meeting to go to."

Tsukasa sat across him, sipping his cup of tea. A black and white chessboard sat next to the teapot.

"What meeting?" he asked.

"I'm suspecting a meeting about how they're going to sneak in to see Hinamori-san's school festival," Tsukasa replied. He set his teacup back on its saucer. "Speaking of which, I've noticed that you haven't even played around with her yet."

"I like to take things slowly. I'm not a person to show his affection straight away." Raiden took the white knight piece by the chessboard and tossed it up in the air, landing neatly on his open palm. "So how's the game coming along?"

Tsukasa smiled. He took the white and black queen piece. A small thunk sounded when he switched the two pieces. Raiden stood up from his chair. He reached out to the white queen piece and gently stroked it with one finger. His hands shook slightly as he grasped onto the chess piece.

"It actually occurred earlier than I expected," said Tsukasa, "My predictions can't see everything that will occur on the chessboard." Raiden ignored him, his gaze fixed at the chess piece in his hand.

He smiled deviously, "This….This is perfect!" He held out his arms to the sky, "I can't believe this! This is beyond my wildest dreams! I like this world! I LOVE HARIMA!" Crows took off from the trees when a maniac laugh was heard at the mansion. "Ahahahahaha-" Raiden stopped mid-laugh, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

He took a cookie from the plate, "I'm tired of laughing manically."

* * *

**Wow. This chapter turned out shorter than I thought. I guess it's because of, what I like to call it, Pre-Report-Card-Stress-Syndrome. xD Next chapter skips to the school festival and of course, certain ghosts wants to join the party too.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Woot! Over 200 reviews! :D Again, thank you so much for your support!**

**Blossoming Hope: The whole concept of the chessboard will be explained later. As for Raiden.....I don't know. It depends on how much I can fit in when this story's finished. :/ For now, he'll stay as an enigma unless I somehow find some room to cover his past and role in the town's fate. And if I don't cover that, then that definitely means a possibility for a sequel is green-lit. (Not that I mind. It's just that I'm worried I'll have to rush some things.)**

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Ami looked around the room sternly. She stood on top of a chair, for extra height. Akki sat next to her, placing his head between his paws. The ghosts were all sitting across from each other, wondering why they were being lead by a 10-yr old with a twinkling wand in her hand.

"Listen up," she said while waving her wand, "I, Ami, younger sister to Amu Hinamori, am going to help you guys sneak into sis' school festival."

"But won't we be disturbing Hinamori-san if we went there?" asked Tadase. Kairi and Nagihiko nodded in agreement.

"Not if we stay hidden," Kukai pointed out, "If she doesn't see us at all, than she can't complain, right?"

"Exactly. Soo….Akki! Bring in _the thing_!" Akki got up and went out to the hallway. He came back dragging a cardboard box with his teeth.

Ikuto stared at it, "What is that?"

Ami patted the box, "This….has disguises so that sis won't recognize you if she sees you." Akki flipped open the flaps of the cardboard box to reveal its contents. A pile of clothes sat in the box. There were hats, shirts, pants, sunglasses, and even dresses.

"Why dresses?" asked all of the ghosts, almost afraid to know.

Ami smiled mischievously, "Because before we get to the disguises, you have to play dress-up with Ami first…."

* * *

Amu stared at her reflection in the mirror nervously. She was wearing a white bonnet and a white apron over a pink shirt and black skirt. In the distance, she could hear her classmates greeting customers as they walked in.

She lifted the curtain to the changing room, greeted with the sight of people seated around tables, ordering their meals. The class representative spotted her by the changing room and signaled for her to come over.

"What is it?" Amu asked.

She cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered, "We have a special guest. Can you get her order? She's at table seven."

Nodding her head to assure the girl, she walked over to Table Seven. The customer's face was hidden by the large menu, but Amu could see the long, delicate fingers holding up the menu.

"S-Sion?!"

The young woman put down the menu, her lilac eyes widening in surprise, "Amu? I didn't know that your class was doing a café."

"Yeah…..It's kind of like my job actually. Except I have to wear an embarrassing outfit."

"Don't say that. I think you look cute."

"You think so?"

"Of course!" Sion smiled at her, the necklace around her neck slightly glinting in the light.

"That necklace….Come to think of it, you always wear it whenever I see you."

"Oh this?" Her hand reached up to the locket containing the small four-leaf clover within, "I got this from a friend a long time ago. Well, not exactly the entire thing. He got me the clover and I just put it in the necklace. I use it as a good luck charm most of the time."

"……You know, I have a friend who's just like you," Amu said suddenly.

Sion looked at her, "Really?"

"Yeah. She has this book, which I think she could've gotten from her friend, and she always has it with her."

She smiled, except it was a sad one instead of a friendly one, "I see…..Then I guess we're really are alike. I came back from America because I wanted to see my friend again. But…..I found out he was dead." She lowered her head, her eyes glazed over.

"Oh….." Amu remembered Rima hinting that her friend died a long time ago. Come to think of it, Utau mentioned that she was looking for someone, who was hinted to have died a long time ago too. And now Sion's friend was also found dead. Was there some kind of connection?

"You know this town wasn't always known for its superstition and legends involving ghosts haunting the town," said Sion, "It was once dubbed: 'Where the Lost Ones Gather'. The town was rumored that if you were looking for someone or something, you would find them there. I'm not exactly sure why but I think it has something to do with the Obon festival."

"The Obon festival? You mean the holiday where you float paper lanterns down a river?" Amu asked.

She nodded, "Originally, the festival was suppose to ease the loneliness of your ancestors. But in this town, it's become more of seeing the ghosts off and making sure they enter the spirit world. Rumor has it that everyone is able to see the ghosts as they leave for the afterlife."

"Is it actually true though?"

Sion shrugged, "I don't know. I only had been in this town for a few weeks so I'm not so sure. But hey, anything can happen." Amu wondered if the rumor had anything to do with the reason why the Phantom Lord chose this specific town instead of any other place. Then something occurred to her.

If the Obon festival was for making sure ghosts went back to the spirit world, did that also mean her ghosts would have to leave? The thought caused a pang of sadness to stir up within her heart.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kukai shuddered, "I never want to wear a skirt ever again."

"Ditto," Ikuto agreed. He brushed off his arms and legs, as if trying to brush away the feeling of being forced into a dress. Kairi looked straight ahead, his shoulders stiff. Unlike the others, he had sucked it up and let himself be talked into wearing a dress. Even though he was the one who always followed his mistress'/master's orders to the letter, this was the first time he wished that he wasn't a servant to the Hinamori family.

Tadase was in the corner, cradling himself in fetal position. He was forced to wear a maid outfit and the moment scarred him so much that he refused to speak when spoken to. Nagihiko's face twitched as he untied his hair. He once made a couple of boys wear a bunch of cheerleader outfits, but being forced into wearing something like a wedding dress was another matter. Kukai chuckled at the memory.

"It's not funny," Nagihiko said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about you walking down the aisle in a wedding dress-"

"Do you seriously want me to remind you about how you had such nice legs when you wore that mini-skirt?" he retorted. This made Kukai's face burn red. The skirt only reached up to the middle of his thigh, showing off his brawny legs. Kukai had to hold it down just so it wouldn't show his genitals.

Ikuto snickered, "Nice comeback."

"What about you? Don't you remember those lovely tights you were wearing earlier, Ikuto?" Kukai quickly said to change the topic. The smirk on Ikuto's face vanished immediately. Ikuto had to wear a ballerina outfit complete with pink tights. It amazed the ghosts on how Ami found a ballerina outfit that was Ikuto's size.

Ami was checking the time on the large grandfather clock in the room. It was 9:00. They already missed thirty minutes of the school festival. Amu had left early to help with setting up the café.

Tsukasa poked his head into the room, "Are you guys done? We're leaving soon." Remembering the school festival, they all rushed over to the cardboard box, looking for clothes that would help them blend in with the crowd. After going to the bathroom to change, they came out with their "disguises".

Kairi wore a green shirt with matching pants. His glasses were missing, and he looked confident about his choice in disguise. Kukai wore a blue baseball cap backwards over his scruffy russet hair. He also wore a white shirt and baggy brown pants. Ikuto wore a pair of shades over his eyes and black clothing. The rest of the ghosts stared at him blankly.

"What?"

"No offense, but you look like some kind of international spy," said Kukai.

Nagihiko noticed something, "Are you wearing my glasses?" He wore a black and white baseball cap over his long locks of purple hair, a black shirt, and cargo pants.

Ikuto shrugged, "I couldn't find any hat or sunglasses that suited me."

"Umm…." Tadase stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a striped vest over a blue shirt. He noticeably didn't wear anything that hid his hair or eyes.

"You're not wearing anything to disguise yourself."

He shrugged, "I just….don't find it necessary to disguise myself from Hinamori-san."

"Hurry up!" Ami shouted from the front door, "We're going to be late!" The ghosts hurried outside. Tadase stopped, and looked back to see Akki still in the living room. He gently scratched the dog under the chin.

"Watch the home for us, okay boy?" Akki whined softly and lay down on his belly. He watched Tadase exit the house through his dark brown orbs.

* * *

"Are you okay with this, Hoshina-san?"

Utau was looking at her schedule. She would sing at 12:00. The boy who handed her the schedule anxiously waited for her reply.

"…..Yes," she said at last, "I'll help with the class activities in the meantime." He sighed in relief, glad to be free of his duties of dealing with the headstrong idol.

They were backstage, people running back and forth, checking the stage equipment and wondering when it was their turn. Utau could hear the distant voice of the hostess of the auction house on stage. It reminded her of the days when she was a singer, waiting backstage for the variety show host to announce her arrival.

Her hands tightened into fists when she felt a lump form in her throat. She told herself many times that she would feel no regret for the action she took. Yet she couldn't erase those memories from her mind. The memory of the devastated look on her manager's face and the look of surprise on her mother's when she declared that she would quit singing.

Utau thought back to when she was asked if she could sing at the school festival. At first, she planned to say no, until she remembered the words he uttered when she told him that she will sing her own songs, and was free from the ties she had with that nefarious company.

"_Good job."_

And before she was aware of it, she agreed to sing one of her songs at the school festival. Utau couldn't exactly say that she wished to take back those words. She came to this town looking for someone. An idea occurred to her when she was offered the job. What if he heard her voice when she sang at the school festival? Would he recognize it and come to see her immediately? At this point, Utau was willing to try anything. Even if it did mean breaking her vow to never sing again until she found him.

* * *

The entrance gate to Harima High was full of people. Families, friends, and neighbors came to see the school festival. A few students were seen at the front, directing many of the people inside. Kairi was amazed by the amount of people in such a small area. He had to admit, he couldn't help but feel a little shy about the idea of interacting with these people. No longer would normal humans be unable to see him. They would see his face and address him as a normal human being.

He and the other ghosts agreed on splitting up. If they stayed in one place, Amu would find them much faster. Kairi didn't particularly like the idea. He had checked the school's records. A demon once prowled on the school grounds on a day of the school festival. What if that happened again? A demon could attack Amu and none of the ghosts would be in the area to help her.

"There's an auction being held in the back!" someone shouted, "Let's go!"

Interested, Kairi silently followed them. A large crowd gathered at the back of the school. A small stage was set up in the middle of the yard. A girl holding a microphone was standing right next to a table with a various cardboard boxes.

"Welcome to the Harima High Auction House!" she said into the microphone, "We have a variety of items donated by many students that are up for auction." The audience clapped their hands together loudly, some even cheering with enthusiasm.

"Our first item is…." She pulled out a strange thin case, "A DVD of the movie: 'The Five Men of White Waves'!"

A strange feeling overcame Kairi. This was a strange emotion he had ever experienced. He remembered Nagihiko once commenting that his matter of speech was similar to the characters' in the movie. His heart was filled with unexplainable joy and desire.

Without thinking, his hand rose in the air, a little bit above the sea of heads. His lips parted to state his offer.

"2000 yen!"

He later guessed he was so delirious at the time that he forgot that he didn't had any money on him in the first place.

* * *

Tadase sometimes wonder what his past life had been like. Did he once stand in a crowd of millions like he did now? Did he go to school? Did he attend school festivals before? Everything was faint to him, his memories clouded with a thick fog. He could only desperately pick away at the bits, trying to make out his past self through various things he could remember or was sure of.

Soft sobs and hiccups caused him to snap out of his thoughts. He had already entered the school, wandering the hallways. The sounds was coming from somewhere among the crowd. Tadase slowly made his way through, finding a small girl wiping her cheeks with her hands, tears streaming down her face.

He bent down, "Is something wrong?"

"…Inu-chan….Inu-chan…is missing…" she hiccupped, "And I can't find her…..I dropped her in the haunted house…..But I'm too scared to get her back…."

"Don't move, okay? I'll go get her for you," Tadase assured her. He got up and went to the end of the hallway. He recalled a classroom with a strange entrance, the door decorated with pictures of ghosts, demons, skeletons, and will-o-wisps. A desk with two boys seated right behind it was near the entrance.

"Excuse me. Did anyone leave behind something back there?" he asked them.

The two exchanged glances, "I don't know….The people inside usually bring lost stuff here…."

"Hey."

"Mashiro-san!"

A short girl with long, curly, butterscotch-colored hair, stood behind Tadase. She briefly shot a glare at him, her eyes looking at him with suspicion. He noticed that there was something in her hand. It was a small stuffed dog that was missing one eye. The boys at the front desk were staring at her in awe, their cheeks tinted with a faint shade of red.

She placed it at the table, "Shizuka found it back inside. She said someone dropped it."

Tadase spoke up, "Excuse me, but that's what I'm looking for."

"Really? You can have it then." She gently tossed the stuffed dog to him and was about to walk away.

"Mashiro-san, wait! You're on duty right now!" One of the boys waved a piece of paper. Tadase guessed it was a sheet with the names of the students that weren't on break currently.

The girl sighed, "I know. I'm going to change." She continued walking and was soon swallowed up by the crowd.

* * *

"Here you go."

The little girl stared at him in surprise when he handed her the stuffed animal. Her face was red and her nose was runny from crying so much. She instantly hugged the dog to her chest when she received it.

"Inu-chan! I'm so sorry I lost you! I promise it won't happen again!" Tadase smiled at how she was treating it as if it was a real dog. She looked up at him and smiled in gratitude, "Thank you very much! Inu-chan is the only friend I have now. If you didn't found her, I don't know what I could have done." She petted the top of the stuffed dog's head, "The real Inu-chan….died a long time ago. I found this Inu-chan on display and bought her because she looks a lot like the actual Inu-chan."

"Your dog….died?" Tadase avoided her gaze, his face covered by his blonde bangs.

"Yes. But as long as I have Inu-chan I'm fine." An odd emotion stirred within him. His heart wasn't only filled with sympathy for the girl. There was also a feeling of....nostalgia.

"See you soon!" The voice came from a girl with pink hair dressed in a maid outfit. She bowed politely as she said farewell to her customer. Tadase immediately recognized her.

"H-Hinamori-san?!"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, "T-Tadase-kun?! What are you doing here?!" The pair began sweating profusely. Amu, flustered that Tadase caught her in such a humiliating outfit, and Tadase, scared that he already gave away the fact the other ghosts were here as well with his presence.

"I….umm….." he stammered.

Amu quickly recovered and her golden eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Are the others here also?" Giving in, he nodded his head. She sighed, "Honestly. The minute I take my eye off of you guys all of you go ahead and do something crazy."

"Are you….mad?"

She twiddled with her fingers, "….Not exactly. I mean, I am mad, but….I'm not saying that I don't want you here. "

Tadase's eyes were filled with relief, "Hinamori-san…."

"That doesn't mean that I like you guys wandering around though! I can't leave until I'm on break. For now, just do whatever you want and let the other ghosts know to not do anything that will attract attention." Tadase nodded, pleased that Amu finally understood the ghosts' longing for human company.

* * *

**Reference to Tadase's past? Maybe. I was a little impatient to get this chapter done because the chapter after this will center around Kukai, Utau, and Ikuto. I could've simply made Rima meet Nagi right away but.....nah. xP It's a little too early for that. **


	36. Chapter 36

**I just realized that I misspelled the name of the Japanese holiday that's dedicated to celebrating the spirits of their ancestors. It's: "Obon", not "Bon". -_- Apparently the website I got my information from got it spelled wrong.**

**I just want to make something clear. Utau does NOT have romantic feelings for Ikuto in this fanfic. I admit that I originally intended to do this, but in the end, I decided not to because there are already enough girls in this fanfic that lost a romantic love interest through death. Besides, death of a family member can be as just as emotional as the death of a boyfriend/girlfriend.**

**

* * *

**

A tall white kitten with a halo over its head stood with a bunch of flyers in its arms. It passed out these flyers to several passerbys. A stand where a line of stuffed animals were on display stood right near it. Two people behind the display were shouting to various people that walked pass.

"Come see our stuffed animals for sale!" shouted the girl dressed in a bear outfit. She held the mask under her arm.

The boy next to her shook his head, "Forget it. We're not getting enough sales. Besides, who wants to buy these things anyway?" He wore a frog-like outfit, his mask also tucked under his arm.

She smacked the back of his head, "Hey! I made some of these myself. Besides, handmade plushies are the best. Much better than those store brands."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Whatever."

"Though there's still the problem of not enough people coming to buy our stuff….Maybe you should go around the school so more people find out about our shop," the girl said to tall white kitty. It nodded its head. Standing right by the stand wasn't going help. The kitty walked down the hall and noticed one poster. It was advertising the badminton tournament held in the school tennis court.

* * *

Kukai was staring at the very same poster. Ever since he split up with the others, he was looking for the place where the badminton tournament was held. The poster said it was held in the tennis court and the prize were a pair of tickets for an official tennis match next month. Kukai had no interest in the prize. He just wanted to do something to get his mind off of things, to feel his heart beat fast with anticipation, and his muscles ache from exhaustion.

He looked around and spotted a couple of girls chatting to each other. Maybe they knew where the tennis court was.

"Hey," he greeted them. They stopped talking and looked at him in surprise. "Do you girls know where the tennis court is?"

For some odd reason, they giggled and blushed furiously. "Yeah…." one of them said shyly, "There's this door right next to the gym at the first floor. It leads you to the sport fields and you'll find the tennis court there."

"Alright. Thanks." They giggled even more and whispered to each other excitedly as he left. Kukai shook his head. Girls.

As he walked in the direction of the stairs, he noticed a room with a giant piano inside of it. The sight of the piano made him stop for some strange reason. Carefully opening the door, Kukai went inside. No one was in there. There were only the piano, musical sheets, cases for various instruments and a large stand for the chorus to stand on to sing.

"_Sorry. I have piano class today."_

He lifted the cover of the piano and gently placed his fingers on the keys. He started to unconsciously hum along to a jazz-like tune that filled his head, blocking out his surroundings.

"…_..What do you mean you have to leave?"_

_

* * *

_

"Hinamori-san."

Amu looked up from her check-off list, "Yes?" Saaya, who was dressed in a maid outfit that looked extremely expensive, was facing her.

"That guy you were talking to before….may I ask what his name was?"

Amu was suspicious, "Why are you asking?"

"I, Saaya Yamabuki, instantly recognize every person's face in this town. To not know someone is something I refuse to let pass by." Amu thought for a moment. This was the main reason why she was so hesitant about the idea of letting the ghosts out in town. Someone would surely notice that they never seen their faces before. Then again, they could easily dismiss their suspicion and guess they were newcomers in town.

She searched for some kind of excuse. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of telling Saaya that Tadase was her family servant. After all, having a boy who was the same age as you as a family servant was a little….fishy.

"His name's Tadase," Amu swiftly said, "He's a family friend of mine. He's not planning to stay long."

Saaya looked a little disappointed by this information, "I see….." She cheered up immediately, "No matter! After all, once Saaya Yamabuki has her eyes set on someone, she refuses to give up so easily." At those words, one of her supporters accidentally bumped into her, causing the tray of hamburger steak in her hand to fly up in the air. Amu watched it in shock. Frantically, Saaya quickly caught the metal tray before it landed on the ground. She let out a sigh of relief. However, she failed to notice that the steak on top of it was missing, and it was only until it landed right on her head did she notice.

Amu's hands were brought up to her mouth. She wanted to feel horror for the now aghast stuck-up girl, but she couldn't help but feel the temptation to laugh at the sight. Saaya whirled around, cornering the unfortunate girl who happened to bump into her.

"Look at what you have done!" she shrieked, causing many customers to look up from their meals, "My beautiful hair is now ruined! What do you expect me to do now, huh?! I can't let the others see me like this!" The poor girl was clearly intimidated by the anger flashing in her eyes. With a "humph", Saaya walked to the changing room, muttering that she would now have to make her appointment with the hair salonist longer.

"Oh dear…." said Amu's class representative, "We won't have anyone greeting the customers …." She turned to Amu, looking at her pleadingly, "Can you take up the job?"

"But-"

"Please? Our customers need to feel welcome! All you have to do is say: 'Welcome!', suggest some of our specialties, ask them what table they would like, and when they leave say: 'Thank you for coming!'. It's not that hard."

"I guess…." Amu wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of greeting complete strangers. But it was something she had to do for the class.

She beamed at her, "Thank you! Just stand by the front door and talk to the customers that are coming in."

Sighing, Amu straightened her back and stiffly walked over to the entrance. Butterflies fluttered about in her stomach. She was beyond nervous. She was never okay with talking to complete strangers. It usually took her some time to be able to sum up the courage. She noticed someone coming. After wiping her palms against the front of her apron, she bowed her head politely when the person came closer.

"W-Welcome!" The person didn't respond, nor did he/she move. This only served to increase Amu's uneasiness. Did she say something wrong?

She tried again, "Do you want anything?"

"Hmm….I want….you."

"Huh?" She looked up, her golden eyes meeting with a pair of shades. The person had midnight-blue hair and wore matching black shirt and pants. The young man's lips were curved into a small smirk.

"….Ikuto?!"

* * *

Kukai wiped the sweat off his brow. The person on the other side of the net panted heavily, his face red from exhaustion.

"And that's another win for Kukai!" shouted the sports commentator, "This boy's been on a roll! Only one more match he has to go through in order to claim the prize!" The audience cheered wildly, most of them already becoming fans of Kukai. The russet-haired boy patted his competitor on the shoulder as he went to the bench for a breather. Kukai had found the tennis court and immediately signed up to compete in the badminton tournament. So far, he went through the matches with ease, not daring to give up.

One thing bothered him though. His muscles did not ache. He was not panting desperately for air. Even though sweat dripped down his head, he did not feel exhausted at all. Kukai quickly shook off the questioning thought on his mind. It did not matter. He was a ghost. He couldn't do anything about it. The only thing he could do was to enjoy himself.

"The next competitor is here! This person looks like he, or she, means serious business." Kukai looked across the court in confusion. All he saw was just a giant white kitty with a halo over its head. Where was his opponent? He looked around. There was no one else on the court except him and the cat. Then it dawned on him. The white cat was holding a racquet in its hand, er, paw.

"Our next competitor is just as serious about this match as Kukai is. This person passed through the previous matches without breaking a sweat! Remember, the rules are simple. Hit the shuttlecock so it passes over the net. The first person to gain twenty-one points wins."

A coach walked to the court. He held a small yen coin in his hand.

"Heads or tails?" he asked Kukai.

"Heads," he answered.

"Alright. Here we go!" The coach tossed the coin up in the air, the coin landing neatly in his open palm. The tails side was facing up. The coach shrugged and pointed to the silent kitty, "You get to serve first." The white cat nodded its head, still not uttering a single word. He tossed the shuttlecock to it and it caught it in midair with its paw. Kukai tensed, ready.

A sharp blow of the whistle sounded as the match started. Kukai's opponent did not waste a moment's hesitation and immediately swung its racquet the minute the shuttlecock was in the air.

Kukai swiftly moved aside and struck the shuttlecock just in time. It soared over the net, going into the other side of the court. The cat jumped high into the air, its racquet hitting back the shuttle. The game continued like this, the numbers on the scoreboard steadily rising. Kukai could tell from his opponent's weak strikes that it was slowly getting worn out. They were both at their twentieth point now. Judging by his opponent's actions, he could tell that this person was not going to back down so easily.

It was Kukai's turn to serve. There was no time limit. He could take his time in figuring out his next move. The tall cat did not move from its spot, too tired to take a step. Quickly throwing the shuttle in the air, Kukai readied himself to strike it. Alert, his opponent moved, a little too quickly, to anticipate his strike. Briefly giving a triumphant smile, Kukai turned the head of his racquet, hitting the shuttlecock forward, making it go in the opposite direction. By the time the shuttle entered his opponent's side of the court, the feline moved too late, the projectile whizzing past its shoulder.

The audience instantly got to their feet and applauded. The coach blew his whistle, ending the game. Kukai pumped his fist in the air.

"And he's done it again! Kukai has passed the finals and is now champion!" The coach went up to Kukai and handed him his prize. The pair of tickets felt tiny in his hands. He noticed the tall white cat walking up to him, extending its paw for a handshake, er, pawshake.

He shook hands, "Thanks. You did well too." It nodded its head up and down. The loudspeaker suddenly blared, people jumping from the loud screech of the microphone.

"_Will Utau Hoshina come to the stage at the back of the school please?"_

Everyone started muttering to each other, wondering what was going on. The cat noticeably froze, its paw dropping from Kukai's hand. Without warning, it suddenly turned around and started to leave.

Kukai swiftly placed his hand on its shoulder, "Wait." He held out the tickets, "I don't need these. You can have them." The cat stared at him oddly for a while, before nodding briefly in thanks and exiting the tennis court.

* * *

"Why are you here?!" Amu demanded to know.

Ikuto yawned, "I had nothing better to do."

She stared at him in disbelief, "That's it?" Behind her, she could hear faint murmurs of interest as the girls of her class glanced at the young man that stood in the doorway.

"Who's that guy with Hinamori-san?"

"I don't think I seen him around here before…."

"Maybe he's new?"

"Do you think he'll talk to us?"

Their conversations were instantly interrupted when someone said, "What's going on?! Where's Kotone?!"

The voice belonged to the class representative, who was making her way through the crowd, one of the only ones that were unfazed by Ikuto's charms. She was clearly displeased that all of the girls were ignoring their duties in favor of staring at a customer.

"Does anybody know where Kotone is?" she repeated.

A girl emerged from the crowd, "I'm here!" She had shoulder-length brown hair and bright green eyes.

"Where have you been? You have a performance after the auction house is finished, remember?"

Kotone scratched her head sheepishly, "Yeah….Sorry. I forgot."

"Well get ready then. You can head down to the back of the school at 11:40." Kotone thanked her, while Amu looked between the two of them, confused.

"What performance?" she asked, voicing her thoughts out loud.

"I have to play my violin at the place where they're holding the auction house," Kotone told her, "Some classes were asked to have one student do some kind of performance. And I was chosen."

"Must be tough performing in front of a lot of people."

She looked down, biting her lower lip, "…It is." She then noticed Ikuto eyeing her unblinkingly, "Eh? Haven't I seen you before?"

"Yeah. I'm a customer at your grandfather's violin shop," he said. Amu swiftly went to his side.

"What violin shop?" She recalled the several times Ikuto would go missing in the house, not even leaving a note of where he had gone to. And now she think she knew why.

"Hey, my violin can get broken sometimes. I need to go somewhere to get it fixed."

Kotone's eye widened in realization, "Really? You're Ikuto? Why are you here?" She visibly blushed, her eyes sparkling with happiness that she got to see him.

Ikuto smirked and pointed to Amu, "I came to see her."

In an instant, Kotone's mood changed. Flames of rage slowly blazed around her and a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. Amu stepped back a few steps, intimidated by the sudden change in the girl's emotions. Kotone glared at the cowering pinkette, a clearly irritated look crossing her face.

"You never told us you were going to perform, Kotone," one of her classmates spoke up.

At the sound of their voice, Kotone turned to look at them. Amu sighed in relief, glad to be free of the girl's jealous wrath.

"A….A lot of things have been going on. So I didn't really have the time to think about it." It seemed like whenever the topic of her violin performance was brought up it made her uneasy.

"What piece are you playing?"

"'A Dream Bud' by Aruto Tsukiyomi." The second those words came out of her mouth, both Amu's and Ikuto's head shot up sharply. Amu remembered those words sewed on Ikuto's umbrella. Why did that name sounded so familiar to her?

"Aruto Tsukiyomi? You mean that famous Japanese violinist that debuted in Europe?"

"I heard he belongs to this famous group of violinists that travels around the world."

"But lately he hasn't been showing up that much recently. What's up with that?" A strange expression showed on Ikuto's face. It was unreadable as always, but Amu could've sworn that his face was bitter, filled with emotions that were a mix of suppressed anger and a bit of sadness.

"_Would Kotone Yasunari come to the stage at the back of the school please?" _the loudspeaker blared.

Kotone gulped nervously and went to the back of the room. She headed towards the front door, holding a violin case in her hand. Concerned for her well-being, Amu decided to follow.

* * *

The back of the school had chairs assembled in rows across the lush green field for people to sit on. The stage was empty, ready for the students to come up and do a performance. Many people sat to watch, chatting to each other about the previous events of the day. Amu found an empty seat for herself and sat down.

"Are you that pink-haired girl?"

She looked to her left and saw Nobuko Saeki, fixing her spectacles to take a better look at her.

"Saeki-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"To have a break from my work of course. It's a little tiring staying in my shop all day long, being interviewed, or going to the studio to shoot another episode of my show." She shivered, "Not to mention....I've been getting a lot of nightmares lately. My manager said that some fresh air works as great medicine for everyone." It was true. There were noticeable bags under her eyes and her head would droop ever so often as she spoke.

Then, Amu remembered what Sion told her earlier. She wondered if the fortune teller could tell her anything about the town's previous reputation and the Obon festival.

"Saeki-sensei-"

"Hinamori-san?"

Tsukasa and Kairi were walking towards them. Kairi looked a little worn out, yet triumphant as he held some kind of DVD in his hands. Saeki stiffened, noticeably staring at Tsukasa for a long time, a luminescent blush on her face.

"Where were you guys?" Amu asked them, "I knew you were here but I never saw you."

"Kairi-kun was looking for me so he can buy something from the auction house," said Tsukasa. Kairi cleared his throat awkwardly, embarrassed that he let himself get carried away. Tsukasa noticed Nobuko sitting next to Amu, still as a statue, "Nobuko Saeki? I haven't seen you in a long time."

Amu was confused, "You two know each other?"

"I also give fortunes to the magazine Saeki-san is featured in. I sometimes see her when she's talking with the publishers."

"How come I don't know about this?"

Tsukasa shrugged, "I have to make a living somehow. Your grandparents are dead now, and the only income I get is from your parents, who are currently away on vacation."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, T-Tsukasa Amakawa," stuttered Nobuko. Amu briefly tried to imagine Nobuko and Tsukasa getting together. At the very image of Nobuko and Tsukasa standing under the chapel, she resisted the temptation to shudder. No. It was best to leave both of them single.

"It's starting!"

Kotone walked up to the stage, holding a violin and violin bow in her hand. The audience shushed each other so there was absolute quiet. After giving a bow, she steadied her violin bow against the violin strings. Her hand shook as it held the bow. When it went back and forth across the strings, a loud screech sounded. Amu winced. That certainly was a bad start to a performance. Nervous beads of perspiration dripped down Kotone's face as her hand hovered there, frightened.

Suddenly, a peaceful melody started playing. The notes were rich and sweet, just the kind of music you would imagine playing under the bright shining sun. Everyone was in awe of the sound. Recovering from her shock, Kotone took a deep breath and started playing along with the melody. Amu leaned back, seeing a distant figure with blue hair on the school's roof, playing a violin.

She smiled, _"Thanks, Ikuto."_

_

* * *

_

The melody even reached backstage. The sweet and perfectly executed notes filled Utau's ears. An old memory surfaced of her when she was little. She was running through a forest, grinning from ear to ear.

She abruptly stood up from her seat, catching the attention of her peers.

"Hoshina-san?"

Without a word, Utau took in a breath and started to sing. She sung loud and clear, the long ago sealed voice of her heart heard by the people in the audience. Her angelic voice rang with a strange tenderness that was never heard from her before. The kids backstage were taken back by the sound of her voice. The headstrong and confident twintailed blonde was transformed into a radiant idol who earnestly sang her heart out. Yet, they could feel something else.

It was a voice that was calling out for someone. The voice was reminiscent and filled of longing. In their minds, they saw a small girl wandering around; hopelessly lost amongst a crowd of people, asking every individual if they had seen the person she was looking for.

Utau herself paid no attention to her surroundings. She was swept away in her own memories and the melody.

"…..Kikoeru wo koi no rizumu

Kisetsu koe ai ni kite ne

Daisuki da yo sasayaitara

Sekaichuu ni kikoechau kana…"

At that moment, the ground shook. Everyone quickly held onto something for support, mistaking it for an earthquake. But Utau knew better. A red butterfly appeared and fluttered about her face. Hurrying to the stack of stage props, she pulled out a long, lethal black trident. The red butterfly flew to the outside, its wings flapping against the strong current of wind.

* * *

The stage was a mess. Curtains and stage lights fell to the ground. Someone managed to pull Kotone away from the chaos. Seats were in disarray, as people ran screaming. Amu looked around wildly. She had no clue what was going on. Tsukasa had disappeared once people started running away. Only Kairi and Nobuko were with her.

"Ojou-sama, look!"

When her eyes followed the direction he was pointing at, she saw something strange. It wore a blue floral kimono and had two fans attached to its back. Something long protruded from its face. Amu wasn't sure if it was just a long nose or a beak.

The creature screeched and flew down. The folds of its kimono knocked over several chairs. In an instant, Nobuko fainted, felling to the ground. Kairi's hand went to his left palm but remembered that he couldn't draw out a katana from his hand in front of thousands of people.

A small red and white projectile struck the creature in the side of the face. It whipped its head around, furious. A boy dribbled a soccer ball with his knees at the other side of the area.

"Over here, bird-face!" shouted Kukai. Letting out another screech, the fans on its back flapped harder as it flew straight towards him.

A sudden gust of wind set the bird-like creature off course, causing it to crash right into a row of chairs. Amu spotted a red butterfly fluttering about its limp body. A black blur struck the spot right next to the creature's head, revealing itself to be a long trident. Someone ran right up to it, grabbing the folds of the demon's kimono.

"Where's my brother?" Utau demanded to know. Desperation shone in her violet eyes. "You're all hiding him from me. So where is he?!"

"How should I know?!" the creature shrilled, "As far as I'm concerned, your brother is as good as dead! All of your efforts are wasted! Face the facts! You'll never see your brother again!"

That seemed to strike a sore spot in Utau. In a matter of seconds, she tugged the trident out of the ground and attacked by digging one of the trident's points into the creature's face. Blood sprayed forth from the spot and a decaying scent reeked out.

Amu stepped forward, "….Hoshina-san?" Her shoulders were tense, an unexplainable tension filling the air. If one could dare describe it, it was the atmosphere of what one would experience when told that you have just lost first place and would now have to return home. Congratulations. Not even turning around to look at her, Utau kicked the bloody-faced body over and left.

Kukai came up to Amu and patted her back, "Glad to see you're safe and sound." He looked down at his feet and noticed Nobuko's still form, "What happened to her?"

"She fainted. I don't think she'll be knocked out for long."

"Hinamori-san!"

Tadase ran up to them, holding onto his knees for support when he stopped.

"Tadase!" Kukai greeted him, "Now all of the Paranormal Attendants are-Eh? Where's Ikuto and Nagihiko?"

"Ikuto's on the roof. He's probably coming down to meet us."

He frowned, "That still leaves out Nagihiko though…."

"I don't know where he is. I never saw him." Amu's face creased with worry. Where was Nagihiko? Where could a boy with impossibly long hair and trans-gend looks could hide?

"That's….not…what's…important…right now…" Tadase said.

"How can you say that?! We're not the Paranormal Attendants if we have one member missing!" Kukai exclaimed in horror.

Tadase finally relaxed and looked at all of them straight in the eye, "Unfortunately…there's another demon on the loose and is right here. Right at this school."

* * *

**For those who don't know or remember, Kotone is the filler character in episode 49 who is infamously known for the only other girl besides Utau who accuses Amu of having a relationship with Ikuto. I personally don't like how her story was handled in the anime but I needed a character who could bring up the topic of violins and she was the perfect choice. Also, the song Utau sings is "Yume no Tsubomi" otherwise known as "A Dream Bud".**

**Badminton tournament part was a little rushed since I'm only slightly familiar with the rules of badminton and how it works. **

**Some of you who are familiar with Japanese mythology would probably notice that the demon of this chapter is based on the "tengu", a Japanese youkai that's famous for having a long nose. (Whether it has a beak or a long nose differs on the myths.)**

**Just where _is _Nagihiko? The only thing I can say about that is....find out next chapter! ;)**


	37. Chapter 37

**No one knew who the cat was.....0_0 I'm pretty sure I made it obvious to who it was. Ah well...**

**

* * *

**

A man in his mid-30's listened intently to the cellphone he held to his ear. You could tell from the lines on his face of how stress from work had taken toil on him over the years.

Rima sat on the couch, staring blankly on the TV screen before her. It was showing a news report about some kid who ran away from home. Her heart prickled with envy. Why wasn't life that simple for her?

"Your daughter was in the infirmary today! Do you know what that means?!" he shouted into the phone. The person at the other end of the phone shouted something back. His face turned red from fury, "What did you say?! Are you saying this is my fault?! Just whose fault was it that she got kidnapped?!"

Rima had enough, "If you're going to fight, do it somewhere else!"

Her dad shook his head at her outburst and started to exit the room, "You see? Bad influence." The sight of her father turning his back to her brought pangs of sadness in her heart. Usually, she would only see that image whenever her parents were going out the door to work. But now it was becoming more common as the days went by. Her parents with their backs turned to her, not listening to a single word she said.

She suddenly tugged at his sleeve, her face covered by her long butterscotch bangs, "You're not….going to ask about what happened?"

He snorted, "Why should I? It's that woman's fault that you're in the infirmary! If anything, you should tell your mother that, not me!" He then went back to the phone, shutting the door behind him as he argued some more.

Rima's hand fell limply to her side. But she couldn't. Her mother would say the same thing, except gender-swapped. They never cared about the details of all the tragic things that had been happening to her. They just fought about it and blamed each other.

"Bala-Balance!"

A commercial of a group called "Darts" performing the infamous comedic pose was now on the TV screen. Taking the remote control, Rima pointed it at the TV and pressed the power button. The screen was now blank, the power off.

* * *

A beautiful melody started to play from the radio. The girl held out the paper fan in her hand and moved gracefully across the small stage. Her movements were perfect, not once hesitating or accidentally tripping over her own feet.

Nagihiko watched her performance, his expression unreadable as she continued to dance. The moment he split up with the other ghosts he had been wandering around the school in search of the cafe he was currently at. He was captivated by the dance, but it also caused a feeling of jealousy to stir up inside him.

A girl next to him was snapping pictures away with her cellphone. Her caramel hair was tied up in twintails with large bow-like ribbons and she wore a light pink floral kimono.

"Excuse me." The girl looked up at the sound of his voice. He pointed in the direction of the dancer on the stage, "Can you tell me anything about that dancer?"

She thought for a moment, "Yaya doesn't exactly know her that well…..But she did hear that her family owns a dance school that belongs to the main branch of dance schools here in Japan."

"Do you remember its name?"

She shook her head, "No. Yaya just knows that it is big and very famous."

A thoughtful look crossed his face, "I see…..Alright. Thank you." He got up and glanced at the clock. It was 11:40. He wondered if Amu was on break and if he could go see her. Nagihiko didn't particularly care if Amu found out. He knew very well that she would tolerant them being here, just as long as they didn't do anything outrageous.

* * *

Rima brushed out the wrinkles in her white burial kimono. She had to play the part of a vengeful ghost girl. She frowned when she stared at her reflection in the mirror of the changing room. Her appearance reminded her of her ancestor: Reiki Chiyoko. The very thought turned the frown on her face into a scowl.

She sighed heavily and went out of the changing stall. She was inside the so-called "haunted house", which were really two classrooms combined, filled with various props and people hidden in several placed dressed up in costumes. Rima quietly snuck behind the background scenery, listening to the occasional screams that would echo from one point of the haunted house. She heard a couple of people going out the exit, chatting to each other about some of the scary stuff they had seen.

"Did you saw the dragon? It was like it came out of nowhere!"

"My favorite was the walking Japanese doll!!"

"Are you kidding me? The best one has to be the walking samurai armor!"

The edges of Rima's lip curved into a weak smile. She was the one who came up with those things they mentioned. It was not because she had an interest in horror movies or from her various encounters with demons. No. It all had to do with one simple stupid excuse made up by her friend.

* * *

Nagihiko found himself standing before a door with a poster of people dancing with a disco ball overhead. He had left the café to see if he could find the others, with no success.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you like to attend the party?" a girl at the sign-up desk asked. She wore a black sparkly dress and matching shoes. She slurped loudly from her cup of soda as she eyed his outfit. Her stare was intense, making Nagihiko feel rather self-conscious.

She then nodded, as if satisfied by something, "You fit the dress code. You may come in."

"Dress code? What dress code?"

She jerked a thumb to the poster behind her, "It's on the poster." Taking a closer look, the poster read a certain dress code for the party. Apparently, the color choice of your clothes showed your relationship status. Red meant you had a boyfriend/girlfriend, black meant you were single, and pink/purple meant that you were looking for someone. A sweatdrop slid down Nagihiko's forehead. Was it really that necessary?

He opened the door to the auditorium, greeted with the sound of music and people talking. He clutched the side of his head in pain. All of the noise was giving him a headache.

Suddenly, the song ended and everyone started to mutter to each other in confusion.

"Where's the DJ?" The stage where the sound system and the music player were was empty. No one was standing behind it. Everyone had a look of worry on their face, knowing there was no point in a dance party if there was no music to dance to.

A boy approached Nagihiko, "Hey, do you think you can help us out?" He wore a black and green hoodie, green pants, a black belt, black boots, and orange goggles over his eyes.

Nagihiko started to protest, "Uh….I can't-"

Not even listening to a word he said, the boy took him to the stage, meeting up with two other boys who looked relieved to see him. One had glasses and wore a sleeveless purple top, purple pants with pink frills, matching slippers, and a purple cape with a pink furry rim. Another had shoulder-length brown hair and wore a red tropical shirt and shorts.

"Hey, man! You found a replacement?" one of them asked to the boy who found Nagihiko.

He nodded, "Yeah. I can't believe the DJ went out just so he could take a piss. He could've at least gone to the bathroom before the party." He then turned around and placed his hand on Nagihiko's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry too much. It's not that hard." He went over and pressed several buttons, "The only thing you have to do is introduce the next song and that's it." The boy grabbed the microphone and pulled it closer to Nagihiko, "Here you go."

"Um….." His voice caught the attention of the crowd, now wondering who the guy was standing near the mike. "The next song is: "Trust Me" by Yuya Matsushita." The song started playing through the speakers.

"_I really wanna be with you_

_I really wanna be wanna be with you_

_Cause you're my love, you're my shine_

_You're my dear, so trust me trust me, trust me yeah"_

The boy high-fived him in congratulations, "See? Nothing to it." He then held out his hand for a handshake, "My name's Chikao."

Nagihiko shook it back, "Nagihiko."

The other boys introduced themselves, "I'm Gorou and this is Haruto."

Nagihiko noticed something about him, "…Aren't you wearing swim trunks?"

Haruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah….I didn't have any other clothes that were red. Well….Asides from my boxers. Since the school doesn't allow people running around shirtless, I had to borrow my dad's old shirt."

"You look like you're going to the beach," said Gorou.

"At least I'm not the one wearing a cape," he shot back.

An agitation mark appeared on his forehead, "Hey! My mom was the one who picked out this outfit, not me!" He shuddered at the memory, "When I told her there was an informal party at my school, she immediately pulled out a box of costume props and demanded me to wear them. She says it's flashy, but I think it's just plain weird." He then realized something, "Wait a minute, why are you wearing red? Last I checked you didn't have a girlfriend."

"I don't," Haruto admitted, "But I do consider myself taken."

"By who?" his friends asked at the same time.

"The girl of my dreams," he answered proudly.

They blinked, staring at him as if he had announced that he was a world-renown basketball player and the most famous breakdancer of all time.

"….I don't know if you're trying to sound romantic or you meant that literally."

He looked strongly offended, "Hey! Saeki's magazine said that today, your love life will start taking course from one simple meeting." He held up the magazine, showing the page with Nobuko Saeki's picture on it along with one of her fortunes.

"But fortunes are just a bunch of nonsense. None of them are true," argued Chikao.

Haruto refused to listen, "You guys just don't believe in destiny." He started looking around the crowd, searching for something.

Both of them sweatdropped, "What are you doing?"

He shushed them, "I'm looking to see if any sparks set off when I look at a girl."

Gorou sighed heavily, "Forget it. I'm not going to argue with you. Come to think of it….Why are you not wearing purple or pink, Chikao?"

Chikao shrugged, "I'm not looking for a relationship. I'm fine with just hanging out with you guys." His friends got a little teary-eyed, staring at him with huge puppy eyes.

"I love you too, man," Haruto tearfully confessed.

"Quit it. It's creeping me out."

"But Nagi's-Is it okay if I call you that?" Gorou asked him. When he nodded his head, he continued, "But Nagi's wearing black and purple. What does that mean?"

"I guess…..it means that he's single but he's not content with it and he's looking for someone," Chikao guessed.

Haruto gave Nagihiko a reassuring nod, "Don't worry. You'll find her soon."

Nagihiko tried to explain himself, "You got it all wrong. I'm not-"

"Though you would have no problems attracting girls," Haruto went on to say, "Girls dig pretty boys." Nagihiko wasn't so sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult.

"Don't make that face! By the way, did you know that we're secretly a dancing group?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I thought you guys were some kind of comedy trio."

"Why does everyone say that? Anyway, we're called: 'Urban Street'," said Gorou, "We used to be a basketball team but we changed our image since this town doesn't have a lot of basketball courts. Haruto came up with the idea that we should become a dancing group but we're not exactly great at it." He looked down, disappointed, "Even though we already promised that we would do some public dancing…."

"_It goes L-O-LL-I-P-O-P_

_It goes L-O-LL-I-P-O-P"_

"Oh great. They already started the song," Gorou complained. Then he had an idea, "I know! Why don't you dance for us, Nagi? It'll be a lot of fun!"

He shook his head, "No thanks. Besides, I've never tried dancing before."

"We can teach you some of the moves. You can also just do a small part of the song. Not all of it."

"Well I guess just a small part wouldn't hurt…" Nagihiko said, giving in.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes of teaching him the moves for the song, an area on the stage was cleared for him. Nagihiko felt butterflies fluttering about his stomach. In his mind, a brief image of him waiting in one of the wings for his performance at a large stage flashed through his mind.

"_You got style, you're a star_

_Everyone wants it_

_We go rock, then we roll_

_Everything the way I want"_

When he made sure everyone was watching, Nagihiko held out his hands to the audience and slid backwards with his feet. He suddenly gave a pelvic thrust and performed a perfect split. He got down on his back and crossed his legs in a V-like shape. Holding onto his legs, he spun around in a circle and then got up.

"_Until the night passes, bump bump bump_

_I only want you"_

His shoulders moved from side to side with each "bump", earning some squeals from the girls that were watching. Nagihiko took off his baseball cap and rolled it across his arm. Spinning it on top of his finger like a basketball, he threw the cap high in the air, catching it neatly as it came down and placed it on top of his head. After sending a nod to the audience, once again causing even more squeals, he gave a little twirl and walked to the west wing of the stage. Chikao, Haruto, and Gorou were waiting for him backstage.

Haruto exchanged high-fives with him, "You were good! Much better than us!"

"You didn't even make a single mistake! You sure that you never danced before?"

"Yeah…." Nagihiko felt a little woozy from all of the dancing. He couldn't understand what happened. His body just moved on its own. It was as if his own rhythm suddenly matched with the song's.

Suddenly, a loud rumble shook the ground. Nagihiko looked up, alert.

"What was that?"

"An earth-Nagi! Where are you going?"

Nagihiko was heading towards the front door, making his through the startled crowd.

"I need to check on something!" he shouted over his shoulder, "I'll see you later!"

"If you want to chat with us, you're welcome to play basketball with us anytime! 4:30 at the park!" Haruto shouted back. Chikao looked at Nagihiko thoughtfully, quiet.

"Chikao, what's wrong?"

"….Don't you feel like you've met him before?"

"No way. I would've remembered if I met a guy like him."

"Hmm….." Chikao looked unsure, "But I'm sure that I've seen him somewhere before…"

* * *

Rima was getting impatient. She was holding a wooden pole with a piece of dark-colored gelatin attached to the end. No one was coming. Did she really put on some ridiculous costume for nothing?

A loud rumble sounded, causing some displays to fall from their places. Rima looked around in confusion, wondering what was going on. There was a shout and then silence. She shivered out of fear. She felt like something might pop out of the shadows any moment.

Carefully stepping out of her hiding place, Rima tried to see in the darkness. Everything seemed to close in on her, making her heart beat fast with fear. The only source of light was the candles that were lit for people to see. She could've sworn that there was someone else in the room besides her.

The sound of a sword being drawn caught her attention and made her look upward. A demon dressed in a male kimono with a sword strapped onto its side. Two large fans spread out against the ceiling. Before she could react fast enough, it slashed at her with its sword, cutting off the sleeve of her kimono. Rima cringed in pain, grabbing her arm to see a small cut forming. One of the candles was also cut down, shrouding the room in darkness.

The demon was about to attack again when a light surrounded by occult glyphs flew right towards. It took off and landed on the floor, in a battle stance.

"Do you really intend to kill me off, O descendant of the Great Priestess?" asked the demon, "Just like the foolish demon hunter who slain my sister, you feign ignorance of our suffering and continue to cut us down before giving us a chance."

"Who summoned you here? You sound too smart to be a ghost who just went insane by chance."

"An acquaintance of the Great Lord was kind enough to let me and my sister into the spirit world so we could exact our revenge on the exorcists who sent us back when we just got a breath of the fresh air of the human world."

Rima snorted, "What a lie. He was obviously leading you to a trap."

"What do you know, exorcist?! You may talk tough, but deep inside, you house a heart that is as fragile as glass. You are in no way emotionless. Stop denying it. You only wear a mask so people won't approach and that way, they would not find out about your weaknesses. How long do you intend to keep this up? It won't be long until another tragic event would cause your heart to finally break down."

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

The creature opened its mouth to speak but coughed, almost as if it was unable to speak. It suddenly fell forward, slightly twitching. It was only until Rima came closer did she realize that the demon was paralyzed. Someone stepped out of the shadows, causing her to jump from fright.

"Who's there?"

The person held up his/her hands in surrender, "Calm down. I'm absolutely harmless." The voice definitely sounded like it belonged to a boy. For some odd reason, it gave her a headache. The voice was now filled with a tone of concern, "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm….fine," she managed to say. Why did his voice sounded so familiar? Even though it had changed slightly over the many years and she knew she could never fully remember what the voice sounded like in the past, she knew. She heard this voice before. Greeting her, calling her name, asking her if she was okay, and promising her that he would always be there.

"You can't be…." she said softly. He didn't hear her unfortunately, since another loud rumble drowned out the sound of her voice. Some ominous blue light lifted from the limp form of the demon as it slowly withered away. The light spun around in a circle and flew right at the boy. It entered his body, making him bend over in pain. He groaned loudly, unable to get up from his position. Rima felt a stab of concern for the boy, even though he was a complete stranger to her.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay? Hey!" He didn't respond, the pain so overbearingly hard to handle that he didn't have the strength to speak.

"Rima!" Someone came over to them and gasped at the sight of the boy crouched over in pain. Rima heard her mutter, "Oh no…." and four other people appeared behind the girl. They also seemed shocked and swiftly came over to help the boy up. Rima's hand fell limply to her side, a feeling of helplessness overcoming her.

* * *

"We heard that another demon was on the loose and we thought it must've been at the haunted house," Amu told Rima. She and the other ghosts had gone over to the haunted house since they guessed that was the most likely place a demon would be. She never expected Nagihiko to be with Rima.

The said short girl was staring at her blankly, her expression unchanging as Amu continued to narrate the details of the demon attacks at the school festival. The ghosts had taken Nagihiko back home to recover, leaving in such a hurry that there was no time to say goodbye.

"So are you really okay?" Amu asked her, "No injuries or anything?"

Rima shook her head, "No. I'm just glad that he didn't destroy anything important."

"Like what?"

Her face darkened, "If he destroyed any of the props….well, I'm not exactly sure what I would do." She turned to look her, "I'm guessing you heard, right? About how I helped out with the haunted house?"

"I think Nikaidou-sensei mentioned it…."

"The ideas I came up with didn't came from nowhere." Rima directed her gaze at her feet, a small smile on her face, "It had to do with something my friend came up for an excuse."

* * *

"What do you mean I can't come?"

Rima stared at her friend with suspicion, displeasure crossing her face. She was eager to go over to her friend's house, since she heard rumors about his family's status, but the boy refused to let her.

"You just…can't." Her suspicion intensified, increasing the boy's apparent uneasiness.

"It's not like I'm sleeping over."

"That's not it."

"What? Is there some kind of family problem?"

"No…..You just can't come."

"Because…...?"

"Because um….there's….ghosts at my house!" Rima gave him a look that read: "You're kidding me, right?".

"I'm serious. My house is filled with a bunch of ghosts called: 'The Seven Mysteries of the Fujisaki Family'!" He tried to sound as scary as possible, which didn't faze the already skeptical Rima.

"Let me guess: there's a walking suit of armor, a dragon that comes out of a scroll, and a walking Japanese doll."

He looked at her, surprised, "How do you know?"

She rolled her eyes, "Because you're obviously basing your lame excuse off of that horror movie. And you still haven't answered my question."

Her friend lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, "…It's none of your business."

* * *

"Did he ever tell you why?" Amu asked her.

"……No. He doesn't like talking about his family. So I never asked him about it."

"Amu-chi! Rima-tan!" They turned around to see Yaya, who looked a little frantic.

"What's wrong, Yaya?"

"You have to come to see this! It's really, really, really important!" She led them to the hallway, where a group of boys were gathering. Amu grew suspicious, instantly recognizing some of them as Rima's fanboys.

"Who do you think deserves the number one spot?"

"Rima Mashiro!" said one of the boys, "Mashiro-san's the cutest!"

"But what about Utau Hoshina? She's an idol after all."

Both Amu and Rima wore looks of annoyance on their faces. Rima, was because that she didn't like being compared to Utau. And Amu, because she felt ticked off that the boys were _still_ doing this. As far as she could remember, none of these boys visited Rima at the infirmary when she got bullied by her classmates.

Amu went up and tapped one of the boys on the shoulder, "Hey." The moment she saw the paper in their hands that was supposedly a list of all of the girls in the school, she snatched it out of their hands, crumbled it into a ball, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. The boys watched it fall into the trash can, their jaws dropping to the floor.

"Get a life," she muttered. She walked away along with Yaya and Rima. It was only until they were outside the school did they started laughing.

"Ahahahaha!! Did you see the look on their faces?!" Amu said between giggles.

"You rock, Amu-chi!" Yaya praised her. She looked at the sky, noticing that the sun was setting, "Oh! The school festival is almost over."

Amu realized something, "Crap! I left my post! I have to go back! Bye, Yaya! Mashiro-san!" She was about to run off when Rima said something.

"Rima," she said, "You can call me Rima."

Amu stared at her, taken back. When she recovered, she beamed at her, "Sure! But in return, you have to call me Amu."

Rima turned her head away, "….Fine."

Yaya teared up, her caramel eyes all hopeful, "Does that mean…we're all friends now?"

"….I guess," both of them said at the same time. Pleased, Yaya tackled both of them into a hug, which was a little awkward due to Amu's and Rima's major difference in height.

"You're squashing me," Rima complained.

"We're going to fall!" Amu shouted, the trio falling over from Yaya struggling to hug both of them at the same time. When the three got up, Amu and Yaya burst into fits of laughter, with Rima smiling at the pair.

At that moment, Rima's world slightly got brighter.

* * *

**I'm a little upset about how much time this took up. Usually, the Rima/Nagi chapters don't take that much time to write since I already have something planned out for them. (What's even more sadder, I'm on vacation. So I should take advantage of the free time I have.) Guess it's just my lack of motivation. *shrug***

**For those who don't know, "Urban Street" are those three boys who show up in episode 91 as the boys who Nagihiko played basketball with. Also, the song Nagihiko dances to is: "Lollipop 2" by Big Bang. (I used the English translation for the lyrics.) None of his dance moves matches the choreography in the MV, mainly because I only wanted him to dance a small part of the song, so I took some moves and then threw random ones in just to spice it up a bit.**

**Just to make this clear, Rima and Nagihiko do not know they're talking to each other because they couldn't see each other's faces. If Nagihiko knew he was talking to Rima Mashiro, the exorcist, he would've stayed away from her.**

**Last chapter on the school festival. Rima and Amu are officially friends now after this chapter. The only problem left now is Amu becoming friends with Utau. And unfortunately, Rima and Utau do not like each other at all.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Facades: **0_0 Oh wow....I am being complimented by one of the authors here that I look up to. This is so weird. xD I don't blame you for being hesitant to read my story since the summary makes it sound like some kind of cheesy supernatural romance story when it is actually far from that. (I need to fix that. D:) And I don't mind that you didn't review sooner. Just knowing that you like it is enough.

As for whether or not the plot is original....The only thing I can say that various things in this story was inspired from different sources. The idea of Amu's grandparents passing away and her inheriting a mansion came from Bloody Kiss. The idea of ghosts being her servants was loosely based off on "furniture" from Umineko. And the idea of a rural setting with a legend behind it is also based off of Higurashi. But aside from those things and some others, everything else is completely original.

I do not blame you for being disappointed with the pace of the story. A lot of things were dragged out than I intended and even though I want to rush things, I'm afraid it's going to come out like everything is just hastily squeezed in into one chapter. My sister recommends that I should do things at my own pace which is advice I decided to take. As for your question about Tsukasa, everything will be revealed soon in the near future. :)

About the cat, it was because I was getting a lot of questions regarding who the cat was which surprised me, since I was pretty sure I made it very obvious about who it was. And yes, I enjoy giving anime-only filler characters a role in my story. There are so many filler characters out there that could be remembered for the tiniest things that it's such a shame that they're never used. The only ones that I ever see used is Lulu, Rikka, Yua, Saaya, and Kirishima, which is all very nice, but they're mainly used for the sake of romance and love triangles. =_= (Surprisingly, Sion is rarely used as a love rival at all.) I don't really mind but I wish people would give the other characters a chance in the spotlight.

**Allie-shugo-chan: **Thank you! The main reason why I also kept a light tone in there is because things are going to get a lot darker later. At least the readers have something to smile or laugh about before I start throwing in the real drama. I think in the earlier chapters I mentioned the pairings but it's easy to figure it out.

**Yannami: **It is both. And no, Nagihiko doesn't, though I guess you can say he suspects he may have known Rima when he was alive.

**LittlePlagueSpirit: **I'm glad you noticed the halo. ^ ^ It was a lot less obvious than the other hints, but I'm glad to see that you got the connection immediately. And as I said before, I love finding roles for the one-time filler characters. It is fun for me and I'm happy to see that you like it too. I'm a genius writer? Seriously? First I get complimented by one of the authors that I admire, and next I'm being called a genius writer. What's next? xD

**

* * *

**

"Easter's power and influence in the world of record companies have been steadily growing over the recent years. They're famous for supporting groups like Darts, and also the ex-singer Utau Hoshina. Rumors have been going around-"

The voice stopped, Utau turning off the TV. Sighing, she buried her face into her bed. Why was that company still alive? But the thing she was more disturbed about was how _he_ let her and her mother move away.

Her grip on the comforter tightened. She knew why. It was so obvious. But was it really true? Maybe he had a point. It was all over. She had nothing to hope for now.

A loud and abrupt knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, "Utau? I'm going out. Breakfast's downstairs, so hurry up and eat okay?"

"Okay, Mom," she replied. She could imagine her mother lingering near the doorway, thinking of something to say.

"…..Goodbye, Utau." Utau remained silent as she listened to her mother's footsteps echo as they went down the hallway.

* * *

Nagihiko found himself lying on top of a bed when he came to. Kukai, Tadase, Kairi, and Ikuto were all gathered around him, staring.

"What happened?" he croaked. He tried to get up, but Kukai stopped him.

"Wow, steady. You haven't fully recovered yet." Groaning, Nagihiko gently placed his head back on the pillow. Tadase was placing a towel in a bowl of water to put on Nagihiko's forehead, Kairi was reading a large textbook in search of information that could help them out, and Ikuto mysteriously went out the door to go get something.

Kairi frowned, tapping his finger on the page, "I can't seem to find out what condition you have. Do you remember what happened to you?"

Nagihiko creased his brow, trying hard to remember, "I think I saw a light…It got sucked right into my body…And then….Argh…I don't know. It just happened so suddenly." Kukai suddenly grabbed his leg and squeezed it really hard, causing the long-haired boy to cry out in pain. He moved his head up to briefly glare at him, "What the hell was that for?!"

Kukai grinned sheepishly, "I thought it would make you feel better…."

Kairi sighed heavily, "Kukai-sempai, it's not like he has muscle paralysis." He sometimes wondered how he wounded up working with a thick-headed jock, a lazy cat, a prince with no backbone, and a trans-gend looking boy whose moods constantly switched from a gentleman to being devious. "Come to think of it, I think you mentioned the light came from a demon, correct?"

"Yeah….It disappeared right after that though."

"Hmm…." Kairi was thoughtful, "I wonder if the Phantom Lord has anything to do with this?"

Kukai placed his hands behind his head, "Who cares? We took care of the demons, right? Nagihiko took care of the second one, the first one-Well, we didn't took care of it. That demon hunter girl took care of it."

Tadase spoke up, "Speaking of which, I didn't think that demon hunters performed magic. I thought they would just track down demons and just kill them on the spot."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that butterfly trick has nothing to do with demon hunters," said Kairi, "Demon hunters rely on simple weaponry to take down demons and information gathered from people in the area to track down demons and guess where they're located."

Kukai was impressed, "Wow. Sounds like you know a lot about demon hunters." Kairi blinked, and then hastily pretended to continue reading the words on the page of his book in sudden interest.

The sound of the door being swung open made them look up. Ikuto stood in the doorway, holding a tray between his hands. He placed it right on top of a table besides Nagihiko. On closer examination, you could see various sharp instruments placed on top of it.

Nagihiko was getting nervous, "What is that?"

"We're going to cut you open so we can get that thing out," Ikuto answered simply.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Nagihiko exclaimed both in annoyance and horror.

Ikuto rolled his eyes, "Relax. It's not like you can be killed anyway."

"That doesn't matter! I don't want my insides to be sliced up!" Ikuto motioned to Kukai and Tadase to hold him down as he went for the knife on the tray.

* * *

Amu looked up, puzzled, "That's funny. I thought I just heard someone scream." She was shopping in the pharmacy, looking for any medicine that might help Nagihiko's illness. She wasn't sure if any could work on him though, since he was a ghost. Amu read a label on the back of one box, squinting as if it would help her understand the complicated words on the back.

"Great for clearing up symptoms like pain in the region of the head, enormous amount of fluid in the nasal passages, inflammation in the throat, sensations of being on the verge of fainting…." She held her head in confusion, "Ah, forget it. I don't even understand a single thing this label said." She carefully set it back on the shelf and continued down the aisle. Amu wondered if she could ask the pediatrician if they had the medicine she needed.

When she went to the front desk, she saw a woman with long blonde hair, covered by a large white sun hat. She bowed in thanks to the pediatrician and turned around. Her appearance caught Amu by surprise. She had fair skin, soft locks of blonde hair, a delicate face and fingers, and an angelic smile. Her smile faintly reminded Amu of someone else. She remembered the days when Utau was performing on stage, smiling at the crowd of fans. Utau's smile was exactly like this woman's.

"Excuse me." The woman looked at her, "Are you related to Utau Hoshina?"

She smiled, "Yes. I'm her mother. Are you a friend of her?"

"…..Not exactly," Amu replied honestly. She only met Utau a few times. Not to mention, ever since she became friends with Rima, if she ever ran into the idol, she would receive a glare. She suspected that Utau didn't exactly approve of their friendship, but she wasn't going to stop Amu if she wanted to become friends with Rima.

The smile on the woman's face went from one of politeness to one of sadness, "I see…..Well, she always had a one-track mind. Even though I can't blame her, I sometimes wish she would get over it." Amu guessed she was talking about the death of Utau's brother. Now that she thought about it, Utau was only alike to her mother in looks. Utau had an aura of self-righteous about her, not hesitant to talk back rudely to someone. Her mother's tone was gentle, but her eyes radiated with a hidden sadness.

The woman briefly brought her hand to her eyes, "I'm sorry. I just remembered something bad." Amu panicked. Was it her fault that she remembered something bad?

"Don't say that! If anything, I should be the one apologizing! I brought up the topic of Utau in the first place!"

Utau's mother tried to calm her down, "It's okay. I can't blame you for wanting to know. Utau…doesn't exactly like me very much."

Amu was confused, "But why? You're her mother."

She thought for a moment before replying, "Let's just say that Utau doesn't approve of some of the things I've done."

"Oh….Okay." Amu didn't want to ask any more questions about it. She feared that Utau's mother might think she was nosy. Also, it seemed to be a touchy subject that couldn't easily be brought up.

* * *

The Hinamori mansion was quiet as always as the day turned into evening. The house had grown on Amu; no longer did the creaky staircase seem ominous. No longer did the walls reek of some kind of strange scent. No longer did she look at this house with disdain because she thought it was an unneeded responsibility to take care of. She was even no longer wary or jumpy in the ghosts' presence. Yep, she thought, life was good.

Amu opened the door to her bedroom with a smile on her face, but stopped dead when she saw the chaos that had taken place.

Unfortunately for her, day one had started all over again as the poor mansion shook with the sound of her scream.

On her bed, were the ghosts, each one of them holding some kind of sharp instrument in their hand. Well, except for one ghost, who was shirtless and looked like his life was about to taken any moment now. Several tears on the covering of the mattress could be seen beneath him.

All at once, they gathered around her, every one of them shouting multiple accusations and explanations like a bunch of toddlers who have been caught doing something they shouldn't have.

"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP?!" she shouted, instantly silencing the ghosts, not even daring to let out a single meep.

Amu gritted her teeth together, her hands clenching into fists. She was thinking of a way to express both her fury and her embarrassment at the same time. Slowly, taking in a deep breath, she faced them and spoke to them sternly, "Tell me. Right now. On what just happened." Before they could open their mouth, she quickly added, "And _one_ _at a time_, please."

Kairi was the first to speak, "I was reading a book to see if I could find a cure for Nagihiko-sempai's illness. While I was reading, Ikuto-sempai brought in a tray. At first, I thought it was a tray of snacks but then realized there were various sharp instruments on top. Ikuto-sempai said we could probably get out whatever was affecting him by cutting Nagihiko-sempai up. Of course, I immediately disapproved of the idea and tried to stop them. But they-"

Kukai pointed an accusing finger at him, "Objection! Sure, you were against it, but you later thought it might actually be a good idea!"

"This isn't a court trial, Kukai…" Nagihiko muttered under his breath.

"Though it kind of feels like one…." Tadase whispered back. He glanced at Amu, who had the same stern expression on a judge's face when listening to a witness' story.

Amu looked at Ikuto, "What's your story?"

He shrugged, "Same as samurai wannabe. Except he left out the part of me leaving the room to get the tray and kiddy king and skater boy taking girly boy's shirt off so we could cut him up better."

"Do you have anything else to say?" Amu asked Nagihiko.

"Aside from 'I want my clothes back', nothing else."

She walked over to her bed, seeing that the tears were made from Nagihiko trying to avoid getting sliced open. Luckily, none of the stuff they used penetrated the mattress beneath it, but Amu was still annoyed over how they used her room like some sort of operation room.

"As punishment, all of you are going to fix my bed and make it look like what it was before," she told them. The ghosts let out a sigh of relief. They were grateful to hear that Amu wasn't going to give them a severe punishment. Amu went over to the tray and picked it up.

"Where did you get it?" she asked Ikuto.

"From the basement. You can put it in one of the boxes down there."

* * *

The staircase creaked as Amu carefully walked down the stairs. Once she reached the bottom, she pulled the switch and light filled the room. Her eyes flickered over to the lone bookshelf by the wall. She recalled that it was the same bookshelf that blocked the exit to the maze connected to the well. She shuddered at the memory.

She accidentally bumped into another one of the bookshelves in the room, causing one of the books to fall to the ground. Amu stepped out of the way just in time, gently placing the tray down so she could pick up the book. The cover read: "_The Spirit World_" and looked like it had seen many years of use and neglect. Opening it, she could see the pages heavily annotated, several passages highlighted in a bright yellow marker. In interest, she read the first page.

"_**No one knows what happens to the soul after the body dies and withers away.**__ Many religions try to find a reasonable answer to where the soul goes after death. Some say that your soul travels to heaven or hell depending the sins you have committed during your lifetime. Some say that your soul is given the chance to reincarnate, your soul coming back down to Earth in the form of another person or animal. Others believe nothing happens after death._

_So what is the __**Spirit World**__? It is a __**dimension where the souls of the dead are given the chance to return to the human world as a ghost.**__ In this place, __**your sins do not matter to the Lord of the Undead. Your regrets are strapped onto you like chains, your soul unable to remain at peace.**_

_Aside from ghosts and occasionally demons, there are several beings that are considered dead, yet can act very much alive. __**The Phantom Lord is one, a higher being that is neither God nor Satan.**__ He __**may choose to grant several souls of the dead the right to be his servants, helping him with maintaining the vast population of the dead**__. But there is one being that is always shrouded around in mystery._

_It is called __**the Grim Reaper**__, and is said to carry out the most sadistic tasks ordered by the Phantom Lord. Some believe that __**if any human being angers the Phantom Lord, he will send the Grim Reaper after them to make them fall to their death**__. Other sources say that __**the Grim Reaper merely waits for a human to pass away before sending its soul off to eternal peace or the Spirit World**__. Some say that it carries __**a huge scythe**__ while others say t__**hat is accompanied by a butterfly to warn the person of his/her incoming death. **__All of this information is debatable, but there is one fact that is agreed on by many. __**The Grim Reaper holds no compassion**__ towards those he must accompany to death."_

Amu slammed the book shut, realizing something. Didn't Utau use a butterfly when she was fighting against the demon? What if she was….? She shook her head furiously. No way. Utau was only a demon hunter. Not some deity of the dead. After all, why would she be killing off people that were technically considered her own kind?

* * *

Nikaidou was writing something down on a piece of paper. A stack of tests sat right next to him in the corner of his desk. He heard someone approaching him, the person's footsteps coming closer and closer.

"I'm busy right now," he said, swiftly jotting something down in his planner, "Can you come back some other time?"

"Is that how you treat an old friend?"

Nikaidou looked up to see Tsukasa smiling at him brightly. He took a chair and sat close to him.

"This is rare. You usually never leave the mansion." Nikaidou got up and went over to the coffee machine, filling himself a cup of coffee, "Want some?"

Tsukasa turned him down, "No thanks. I had my fill of caffeine today. Raiden keeps joking that one day, the two of us will stay up for days without any sleep and then go into weeks of deep sleep after the caffeine rush is over."

Nikaidou sat back down on his chair, taking a sip from his cup, "Speaking of which, where has he been lately? I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Knowing him, he's probably skipping around town, doing whatever in the world he wants to do." The mental image of Raiden merrily skipping down the sidewalk made Nikaidou chuckle.

"So what's the real reason you came? Please don't tell me it's because you miss me. That's hardly a good reason to interrupt your friend from work when you know that he has a couple of tests to grade, and meetings to go to."

Tsukasa placed his hands together, his tone cheerful and innocent, "I heard that the haunted house idea for the school festival passed by the principal with no problem. Did you have anything to do with it?"

"Well, I was the one who supported the haunted house idea, and gave the argument that the spirit of Reiki Chiyoko could help protect the school festival from disaster," he admitted.

"I have a feeling you supported it on purpose."

Nikaidou smiled, but something about it seemed a little off, "Who knows?"

"I'm also suspecting that you sent out those demons during the school festival," said Tsukasa, the playful tone still evident in his voice.

Nikaidou brought his hand up to his face to take off his glasses, "Me? I would never use demons to harm people." His friendly ochre eyes were now serious, cunning, "But that doesn't mean I'm not one to hold back on doing some experimentation on a ghost."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh dear. Nikaidou might not actually be as nice as he looks. ;X Well, that was already established since he's friends with the unpredictable Raiden but this is more severe. Unfortunately, Utau only got one appearance in this chapter but she will get a lot more in the next one. On a bright note, Souko was introduced. Yay~ She's personally my favorite out of all of the Shugo Chara! moms. Then again, there are barely any likable moms in SC! aside from Midori and Souko. Rima's mother is not liked for obvious reasons, Yaya's mother is rarely shown, Tadase's mother has a not-so friendly jealousy towards Souko, and I have mixed feelings towards Nagihiko's mother since she was partially the reason he had to crossdress in the first place. (I know he brought it upon himself, but still.....I have mixed feelings.)


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating as often as I used to. My vacation just ended, which means I'm back in school, not to mention it's spring now, and that means it's another year of annoying seasonal allergies. This chapter wasn't really the best in my opinion. Mainly because this was written when I was feeling under the weather because of my allergies. T_T

* * *

Utau faced the small blonde girl, her eyes not once wavering. It was too late to turn back now. This was her only chance.

Rima leaned her back against the wall, "What do you want? For a former pop idol to see me, you must have some reason."

Utau took a deep breath. This was going to hurt her pride, but she had no other option. She suddenly bowed her head, startling the normally passive Rima.

"I want you to teach me exorcism," she pleaded.

"That's not possible," Rima said immediately. Utau's outrageous request surprised her. It was extremely rare for someone to be actually willing to become an exorcist. Usually, it was something passed down through family. She was instantly reminded of her own aunt, of how she was the one who got her interested in the first place. "If you were related to one, it would probably be easier for you, but because you're a normal person, you can't harness any spiritual power."

"It doesn't matter! This is my only chance!" Her hands were clenched together so tightly that you could see the white of her knuckles, "…I was already aware that the training might be tough. But…I'm willing to go through it. Even if it takes more than a year. I want to at least give it a shot." A spark of unwavering determination glinted in her violet eyes. Rima noticed this, taken back. It caused something to stir within her heart. It wasn't just admiration. If anything, it was a spark of envy towards the twin-tailed blonde.

She sighed, "…..Fine. I'll teach you. But I'm warning you, it won't be easy."

* * *

"Utau-tan's family?"

Amu was walking with Yaya down the hallways during break time. She was asking Yaya whether or not she knew anything about Utau's family.

"Yaya heard that her mother's name is Souko Hoshina and belongs to a family that runs Easter," she said, "She married to someone….I think he was a famous violinist. But when the head of Easter passed away, he disappeared without a trace."

"Disappeared without a trace….." Amu muttered, "You don't mean Aruto Tsukiyomi?"

Yaya's face lit up when she remembered, "Oh yeah! I think he's Utau-tan's father! Anyway, after that, Yaya heard that Utau-tan's mother remarried to Easter's director, Kazuomi Ichinomiya." Amu remembered the day she came upon an article titled: "Kazuomi Hoshina Becomes Head of Easter" on the Internet. She wondered if that article had anything to do with it. She also wondered if the thing that Utau didn't approve of her mother doing was her remarrying to Easter's director.

"Ah! Hi, Rima-tan!" Yaya said, waving to the figure of the short blonde girl. Oddly, she didn't turn around at the sound of Yaya's voice. Rima was giving off vibes of displeasure. As they came closer, Amu saw the source of her irritation, whom was also giving off the same vibe.

The two girls eyed each other in silence, the atmosphere far from friendly.

"So Mashiro," said Utau, "Word's going around that you ditched your fanboys. That true?"

Rima pretended to yawn, "So? If I don't like them, I don't like them."

Utau raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were going to continue being a slave driver."

"I 'ditched' them. It doesn't mean they're not my servants anymore. Why do you care so much? Are you jealous because you lost all of your fanboys after you quitted being a singer?"

"For the last time," Utau hissed, "I have my reasons for quitting on being a singer."

"Yeah," Rima said sarcastically, "Because quitting your career because of emotional issues is totally reasonable." This only served to make the tension rise up several levels. Amu and Yaya glanced at each other nervously. Things were going to get ugly if they didn't do something soon.

"Hey ladies! Do you want to help out the basketball team by buying some tickets in advance?" Three boys suddenly appeared right behind them, causing Amu and Yaya to jump in fright. Utau let out a small "tch" and walked away. Rima watched her go coolly and sighed.

"No thanks," Amu told the boys, "We're not interested in going to the basketball game."

One of them pouted, "Bummer. And we're not getting enough money either…."

"I told you that we should've waited until lunch time," said the boy in glasses.

"Maybe we can ask that guy we ran into at the party," suggested the boy with black spiky hair, "If he meets us at the park, that is." The boy with shoulder-length brown hair looked at Rima, his face creasing into a frown. His friends noticed him looking at her. They shook his shoulder gently.

"Hey, Haruto. Are you okay?"

One of his friends gasped, "Maybe….you're seeing sparks?" The other boy rolled his eyes at his friend's guess but before he could say anything Haruto finally spoke.

"It's not that," he whispered, "I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

"You mean the same feeling I had when we met Nagi?" whispered back the spiky-haired boy.

"But this is Rima Mashiro we're talking about!" argued the glasses boy, "The only way we could've known her is if she were our girlfriend or something, which is impossible, because the three of us have been single since who knows how long!"

Amu blinked, confused on why there were talking to each other in low voices when they could hear every word they said, "What are you guys talking about?" The three finally remembered that there were people around them and cleared their throats awkwardly.

"Um…..Excuse me," Haruto addressed Rima, who had been staring at them oddly for the past few minutes, "Do we….know you from somewhere before?"

For a while, Rima didn't say anything. She continued to stare at them blankly, struggling to remember where she had seen their faces before.

"I…..I don't think so," she said at last. The only image she managed to conjure up was one of a basketball court but it quickly slipped out of her grasp before she could fully remember the answer to their question.

"Oh….Okay." The trio now felt awkward, seeing that it was nothing more than suspicion. "Well, bye!" They quickly walked away, looking around for more people that would be willing to buy tickets.

Once they were out of sight, Yaya asked, "Are they your friends, Rima-tan?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. But I think I only knew them indirectly." Amu noticed that she was avoiding eye contact and seemed a little uneasy. She wondered how Rima coincidentally had the same type of amnesia she did. Rima's memories were much clearer than her's though. She couldn't recall them no matter what she did. Why?

* * *

Amu gazed out the window with her hand rested under her chin. Her mind was filled with thoughts about the conversation she had with Yaya. For some reason, the name of the famous violinist bothered her. She reached for her cellphone hidden in her desk and sent a text message. The girl in front of her looked at her desk and glanced back at Amu.

"_Kotone, do you know anything about Aruto Tsukiyomi?"_

She texted something back, _"Yeah. Why? Curious?"_

Amu directed a wary glance in the teacher's direction, making sure that the back of her head was turned, _"I guess. I heard he was famous but disappeared so no one knows where he is."_

"_That's what I heard too. My grandfather said he went to Europe for college and fell in love with a customer of a violin shop."_

"_Souko Hoshina?"_

"_Yep. They got married and Tsukiyomi-san was expected to be the next head of Easter."_

"_But that didn't happen. He disappeared."_

"_With no trace. Even the violinist group he's from didn't appear for a while." _Amu shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. How could someone just disappear? Another text message from Kotone flashed on the screen of her cellphone.

"_Do you like Ikuto?" _it read. Amu nearly fell off her chair, catching the attention of her teacher.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

She shook her head furiously, "Nope! Nothing's wrong!" When the teacher turned to face the board, Amu quickly texted something back.

"_Are you kidding me?! He's a pervert, he's lazy, doesn't make any sense, and even though he's older than me, he still acts like a little kid!"_

"_So does that mean you don't like him?" _For some reason, Amu could sense a secret sigh of relief behind those words.

"'_Course I don't," _she texted, hoping that would end the conversation. Shutting her cellphone, she went back to looking out the window. For the first time in many days, a faint memory surfaced when she started wondering why she was so concerned about the topic of Aruto Tsukiyomi.

"_I don't want to drag you into this. But if you hear or ever see him again, please contact me as soon as possible."_

_

* * *

_

Ikuto slammed the lid of his violin case shut. He had just finished playing another wonderful piece with his violin. Tadase came into the room, placing a broom by the side of the doorway.

"Back from the violin shop?" he asked.

Ikuto nodded, "Yeah." He sat down on an armchair and placed his hands behind his head. Tadase noticed the brooding look on his face.

"Something wrong?"

"It's nothing really." He got up and took the black umbrella he set against the leg of the table, "You know, this umbrella I have is actually merchandise from one of Aruto Tsukiyomi's concerts. The old man from the violin shop told me that."

Tadase took a seat beside him, "I can help but feel that you're not really going there to get repairs."

"….No," Ikuto admitted after a moment of silence, "I guess I just want some answers. It's frustrating not able to remember anything."

Tadase's face grew concerned, "Hey, Ikutonii-san. Do you think…..that we're all going to disappear soon? Or even worse…turn into demons?"

He shrugged, "We're all bound to disappear someday." Tadase opened his mouth to argue but then Ikuto stood up and placed his hand on his head reassuringly, "Don't think too much about it. If I were you, I could care less about it."

A worried frown crossed Tadase's face, "You really don't remember…..do you?"

Ikuto looked at him, confused, "Remember what?"

Before he could say anything, the doorbell ranged. Tadase hastily got up from his chair and hurried to the door.

"I'll go get it." Ikuto watched him go and turned to look out the window, staring down at the flower beds. The other ghosts were there as well. Kairi was polishing one of his katanas with a handkerchief. Kukai was mindlessly dribbling a soccer ball with his knees while Nagihiko was talking to him. The conversation he had with the old man who ran the violin shop flashed through his mind.

* * *

The man smiled at him as Ikuto prepared to head out the door, "Have a safe trip on the way home."

Ikuto returned his smile, "Take care of yourself. When I visit again, I'll play the violin for you."

He nodded, "I'll look forward to it. Considering that your skill is even good enough to rival Tsukiyomi's talent on the violin." Hearing those words, a strange feeling swelled up within his chest. It was an odd sense of pride, a feeling of self-accomplishment, but Ikuto quickly dismissed it as being proud that he was considered as great as the legendary violinist.

The old man leaned back in his chair, sighing, "I swear. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were the son of Aruto Tsukiyomi."

Ikuto's head shot up sharply, staring at him oddly. But then he let out a snort, "No way. I'm pretty sure it's just a coincidence."

He laughed, "You're right."

Slinging his violin case over his shoulder, Ikuto thanked the old man once again before he exited the store. The humor on his face vanished the moment he stepped out. Playing the violin came naturally to him. Was it really a coincidence?

* * *

"Hoshina-san! Utau Hoshina!"

Utau groaned when a loud thump sounded right next to her head. She was having such a nice nap. She slowly rose from her seat and looked in her teacher straight in the eye. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Care to read the next paragraph, Hoshina?" he asked.

Utau glanced at the page her book was open to. She couldn't remember what part they reached up to. People in the class muttered to each other, wondering what the ex-idol was going to do next.

Her teacher sighed, "The sixth paragraph on the page, Hoshina."

"……The guards staggered under the blinding light the heavenly beings sent off. One of them drew a beckoning hand towards the princess waiting patiently in the shadows. Princess Kaguya elegantly took a step towards the awaiting group of beautiful women surrounding the carriage embedded with jewels. She turned around to give her final farewell to her teary-eyed parents and the sympathetic guards."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The students started packing everything up and getting ready to leave. The teacher nodded his head in satisfaction, though he was still upset that one of his students ended falling asleep in his class.

"Good. But you're still receiving punishment. Come to the main office when you're done. "

Utau closed her book shut and placed it in her briefcase. She didn't feel guilty or ashamed that she was caught sleeping in the middle of class. The fight she had with Rima previously gave her a headache. What other method was there to relieve her stress?

Something accidentally fell out of her briefcase. She bent down to pick it up, seeing that it was a worn-out notebook. She silently flipped to a page, fading words written on the wrinkled paper. Her finger traced the characters neatly written in pencil. She remembered this notebook. She had it with her ever since her pop idol days. The words were lyrics to the songs she came up with. Some were actually released. Some weren't.

"_I will not hesitate and move on with life_

_For the time past will not return_

_For my most cherished prayers to reach you_

_I shall sing again today_

_You'll find the answers you seek_

_For so was I told_

_If only one wish could be fulfilled….."_

The song ended there. Utau could never think of a way to continue the song. She already knew what her wish was. But she wasn't so sure if she would just be satisfied with seeing her brother again. She recalled the notebook once being held in someone else's hands, her tiny fingers clasping onto the spine of the book.

"_It's a nice song. But I think you can reword your wish differently."_

Utau shook her head furiously. Why was she considering that girl's advice?! As far as she was concerned, the two were never friends. They were never like that to begin with.

* * *

Rima picked her briefcase off from her desk and glanced out the window. A pinkette and a girl with bouncy caramel twintails were talking to each other by the school gate. She smiled softly, knowing that the two were waiting to see her off even though she was getting picked up by her parents.

But then she spotted a certain twintailed blonde walking past them. Her smile instantly vanished. Both Amu and Yaya attempted to greet the girl, but she merely gave them a stiff "Hi" and went on her way. Rima frowned when she saw this. Something was wrong. But at the same time, she knew it wasn't her place to ask her about it. She remembered Amu confronting her about her relationship with Utau.

"_Why don't you guys get along? I think Hoshina-san is nice."_

"_That's not it," _she thought. Her hostile feelings towards Utau weren't because she thought poorly of her. Sure, there were times where she was irritated by how adamant Utau was. That girl always stood by her beliefs, whether or not she had a good or bad reasoning.

Their relationship was rocky from the start. They sometimes got into arguments that started off small, but then grew into a big fight, only to pretend nothing happened the next day. Their ideals clashed, which was often the cause of their fights. No. Utau was definitely not the definition of a "best friend" in Rima's book.

….Yet she'd be lying if she said that she didn't wish for things to return back to the way they were before.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter was mainly focused on Rima's and Utau's grudge against each other, which I plan on wrapping up quickly. Since the reason why they hate each other is so blatantly obvious. And the filler characters make a return. Kotone is really only there to provide more information on Ikuto's and Utau's past. She's unfortunately not involved with any of the characters, unlike the basketball boys, who were involved with two certain characters. On that note, I failed to mention this earlier, but the three basketball boys didn't had any names. I had to give them one. The story Utau was forced to read is The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Or more famously, the story about Princess Kaguya. The paragraph is not an excerpt from any source. I wrote it myself. :P And the song written in Utau's notebook is an actual song called: "Reset" by Ayaka Hirahira. (Once again, translated for your convenience. The romanji lyrics I found were slightly off and I couldn't find any other sources so I resorted to using the English lyrics. By the way, it is a beautiful song and the instrumental version is even more beautiful. Listen to it right now!) Next chapter will hopefully be put up much quicker and my symptoms will clear up by then.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: **I apologize for the late updates. Unfortunately, I had other stuff to do this week so I couldn't work on this chapter at all. This was suppose to be published yesterday but I never got around to finishing it until today. T_T Spring really isn't the best time for me. I've also been in kind of a slump lately. It's not writer's block. It's me not having enough motivation to actually get up and work on the next chapter. Maybe I should stick to updating once a week instead of immediately going to work on another chapter and getting it published as soon as possible.

**Maya: **As I've said to many people, I understand your frustration with the pace of this story. I do plan on going more in depth to the ghosts' pasts right after this chapter. I have hinted on clues to Kairi's and Tadase's past. (They're just hard to find.) And I haven't entirely covered Nagihiko's past. I haven't revealed in exactly what way he is related to Amu.

* * *

Utau sat in a meditative position, her legs crossed in a pretzel-like shape. Her eyes were closed, as she tried to concentrate on finding her inner peace. Rima sipped from a cup of hot chocolate silently.

Suddenly, Utau slammed her hands down on the ground, "Why is this so hard?!"

"I've told you, it's not something that will happen in a matter of days," said Rima.

"I'm calm. I'm not distracted by anything. So why is it not working?" Utau asked out of frustration. She only had one set goal in her mind. Her heart never wavered from it, not even once.

"Maybe it just needs to take on some kind of form," Rima suggested, "It worked for me when my aunt taught me. Try making it into something solid."

Utau frowned, "Can't I just try making it look like those strange circles your's does?"

Rima shook her head, "Spiritual energy is something that differs within every person. You have to think of something else."

Utau sat back down again with a sigh. She couldn't think of anything that might be good for her spiritual energy to take form in. She looked around the room, looking for something that might be suitable. She noticed a lone red butterfly fluttering by the window behind Rima. Satisfied, Utau closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went back to clearing her mind of all thoughts.

* * *

"A butterfly?" asked Kairi.

Amu nodded, "I heard butterflies have something to do with the Grim Reaper but I'm not so sure if that's true…."

Kairi leaned his back against the wall, its coat of paint slowly peeling off, "You're familiar with the myth that when you see a butterfly after someone dies, it means that butterfly is that person's soul?"

"Yes." She heard about it from her grandparents one time. She never believed it. But Ami, on the other hand, would now stare at butterflies in awe and would instantly get protective if someone was bullying a butterfly.

"It's not that all butterflies have something to do with the Grim Reaper. Personally, I believe that butterflies are only messengers of the Grim Reaper, if they do appear during someone's death. It's a message that someone has died, and the Grim Reaper will take the person's soul to the afterlife," said Kairi.

"Do you know who the Grim Reaper is?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you. But when I came to the spirit world, I only heard of the Grim Reaper. No one has ever seen him or her. I guess the Grim Reaper doesn't interact with the ghosts much."

"Hm….." So did that mean that Utau had nothing to do with the Grim Reaper? The thought made her relieved. It was probably just a coincidence.

She noticed something on top of the bookshelves in the corner of the room. It was two sharp black hooks, probably used for holding something up against the wall. But to hold up what?

* * *

During night time, a lot less people would be out in Harima, for there really wasn't that much to do late during the day. The street lamps barely kept the entire town from being shrouded in darkness.

A stray cat wandered in the dark alleyway barely lit up the street lamps out on the street. It walked over to a cardboard box, sniffing it. The box was rather moldy from many days of being outside in the heat and rain. Wrinkling its nose in disgust, the cat walked away to find another possible good source of food. A small mouse was on top of a trash can, nibbling on something it found between its paws. Purring in delight, the cat crouched down on all fours, ready to pounce on its prey.

But then, one of the mouse's ears turned towards a certain direction, the rodent suddenly alert. One of the cat's ears twitched, hearing something strange as well. Squeaking in terror, the mouse ran down the trash can and scurried into the deep shadows of the alleyway. The cat let out a hiss of frustration. That was the third time this week it had a lost its chance of getting a good catch. The cat got up and groomed its fur, trying to ignore the loud grumbling of its stomach.

_SSSHINNN_

The cat's ears twitched. There was that strange noise again. Except it was a lot louder than before. The feline's muscles tensed, ready to fight or flee for its life.

A large creature leapt into the alleyway. Its arms were oddly shaped, a blade-like structure sticking out of each arm. It had the shape of a human, yet the cat could tell it was something out of this world. Its ominous red eyes scanned its surroundings. Frightened, the cat quickly behind some boxes. The cat's moonlit yellow eyes followed the creature's every step. A waft of the creature's scent entered the cat's nostrils, causing it to recoil with disgust. But it knew very well what this scent was. The very knowledge made it quiver in fear. It was the scent of Death. The resistant force of nature that would soon consume all life forms in its path.

A fluttering red butterfly caught the cat's attention. It was getting closer, and closer to the creature, undaunted by the revolting odor reeking out of the creature. The cat watched in awe as the creature stared at the incoming insect. Silently raising its arm, the creature delivered a powerful blow on the butterfly.

That was a huge mistake.

Just as soon as the blade made contact with the butterfly, it exploded into smithereens, releasing a force strong enough to send the creature flying into a couple of trash cans. The cat hissed in fear, trying to make itself look smaller so it won't be seen.

Someone's footsteps echoed in the alleyway. The scent of a human filled the cat's nostrils. What would a human be doing here?

The human was holding something in her hand. The cat thought it was some kind of long pole. The creature steadily rose to its feet, shaking off a lid of a trash can that landed on its head. It raised one of its arms high above its head, and brought it down with impressive speed. The sound of something hitting against metal echoed across the alleyway. The cat wasn't exactly so sure what happened next, but the creature suddenly staggered back, as if hit by some unknown force. The cat saw its crimson eyes roll into the back of its head, its arms falling limply to its side. It fell backwards with a loud crash, the smell of blood overpowering the damp scent of the alleyway. Afraid to stay any longer, the cat leapt over the pile of cardboard boxes and ran away as fast as it could.

* * *

Utau stared as the demon's body slowly withered away. It was another day with no success it seemed.

The sound of someone clapping their hands together made her turn around to see who it was.

Raiden jumped down from the roof of a building, his coat swaying about in the nightly breeze. The smile on his face wasn't exactly welcoming, as if he was hiding something sinister behind his back while pretending to be all innocent.

"What do you want?" Utau asked him. Their last meeting was far from a friendly chat, and there was just something about him that made Utau wary.

He made a face, "Why does everyone talk to me with that attitude every time I come up to them? Especially you, Utan. I helped you find out more about the little priestess, right? How about a little gratitude here?"

"The only thing you did was telling me more about Mashiro's past," she said, "And I told you to stop calling me that."

Raiden kicked a soda can he found on the ground, "What if I said that I have information on where to find your beloved brother?"

Utau looked up sharply, "What do you mean?"

He pointed at something in the horizon. Above the sea of small buildings and houses, was the figure of a mansion, almost concealed by the treetops of the forest surrounding it.

"You know that mansion you broke in to get your trident? Well, there might be a clue that will tell you where your brother is."

She glanced at him cautiously, "….How do I know this is not a trap?"

Raiden smirked, "But you don't care, do you? If it'll lead you to your brother, you will go after it blindly, like a donkey trying to reach for the carrot at the end of the stick." He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Think about it. It's been two years. This might be your only chance to find your brother."

Utau hesitated, thinking about it. She remembered when she broke into the mansion to retrieve a weapon she could use for slaying demons. It was quite easy getting over the gate and finding a window that was open. There was barely any security to worry about. That place was always surrounded with rumors of the paranormal and maybe, just maybe, there might be a possibility that it may contain the clue to finding her brother.

She took in a deep breath, "………Fine. I'll do it." Raiden's smirk grew wider in triumph.

"I knew you would say that."

* * *

The ghosts were all hanging out in the hallway of the mansion. Rays of moonlight illuminated the dark room. Kukai was having a heated discussion with Nagihiko and Tadase over whether or not they should name their so-called "moves", as Kukai liked to put it. Kairi listened to the three go on with little or no interest while Ikuto stared blankly out the window.

"I'm telling you! It would be totally cool if we give it some kind of name, don't you think?" asked Kukai.

Nagihiko sweatdropped, "For the last time, we are not superheroes or anything like that. We are not people who transform and suddenly gain magical powers to defeat the monster of the week or deliver some chessy heroic speech to the villain or the person angsting over their own sob story."

"Not to mention your names are….." Tadase tried to find the best word for it, "…..Unnecessary?"

"What are you talking about? I think they're fine!" A ball of fire materialized in Kukai's hand and he started to dribble it with his knees, "Golden Victory Shot! Doesn't that sound awesome?"

"It fits…..but I still don't think it's necessary."

"What about I name your guys moves then?" Kukai offered, "Maybe that will change your mind. For example, Tadase's can be….Holy Crown! Since his barriers always like a crown. Kairi's can be Lighting Blade since he's very fast. And Ikuto's can be Phantom Claw because of….you know. I don't know how I should name yours though, Nagihiko."

"Why? Is it that hard?"

He placed a hand under his chin, "No….I'm just undecided between Blaze Shoot and Beat Dunk."

"There's someone here," Ikuto suddenly announced, ending their conversation. He spotted the dark silhouette of someone walking across the front yard. "I can't see who it is though."

Kairi came over to look, "Let me see." On closer examination, the silhouette had two twintails. The person held a long trident in her hand. He could've sworn he saw this person somewhere before….

"Oh god." When Nagihiko came over to look as well, his eyes widened upon realization.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked him.

He gulped nervously, "I've…I've seen that girl somewhere before. She's a demon hunter."

Kukai was confused, "But why would a demon hunter be here?"

"Someone must have spilled the beans that there were ghosts living in this house," guessed Ikuto.

"That doesn't matter right now! We have to focus on blocking all possible entrances," said Nagihiko.

"How about Tadase covers the entire house with his barrier?" suggested Kukai, "It'll be a lot faster."

Tadase shook his head, "It's faster, but it quickly takes away my energy. We have to go for the harder way."

"Plus, it'll look a lot more sus-Ugh!" Nagihiko suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.

Everyone crowded around him in concern, "Are you okay?" Nagihiko shakily nodded his head "yes". The other ghosts didn't notice, but Ikuto thought he saw Nagihiko's amber-colored eyes briefly flickered to a color of deep red. For some reason, the sight caused his head to throb with pain. An image of a tall shadow that stood before a brick wall flashed through his mind. A pair of cat ears poked out of the shadow's head and a cat-like tail from the shadow swished from side to side.

"Ikuto, hurry up!" Kukai's shout snapped him out of his thoughts, "We have to get going!" Ikuto quickly grabbed Nagihiko's arm and put it around his shoulders. The two followed the other ghosts as they went downstairs.

* * *

Rima looked to her left warily. There was nothing there. She glanced to her right. Nothing. Where did that demon run off to? She thought for sure that it went this way.

She noticed a cart up ahead. Someone was standing in front of it, shutting down business for the night.

"Excuse me." Rima walked right up to him, "Did you see anything strange go pass here?"

The man shook his head, "No. Even if I did, I wouldn't be so sure since it's not exactly that bright in this part of the town."

"…..I see. Thanks." A familiar scent wafted from the cart. It was an enticing smell and nearly made Rima's stomach grumble.

"…..Melon bread?"

"Yep. I'm closed down for business though. Customers aren't so common during this time of the day." Then he frowned, "Come to think of it, why is a young lady like you out so late? Where are your parents?"

At that question, Rima stiffened. She wasn't so sure how she could answer that question. Usually, she avoided people who were staying out at night time, so she won't raise suspicion from the locals.

"….They're at home. I'm just going out for a midnight stroll."

Luckily for her, the man took that excuse, "Alright. But make sure you return home soon, okay? Can't let your parents worry about you."

"_Even if they did, it doesn't exactly mean that they care about me," _Rima thought bitterly as she went away. She was aware that if her parents found out about they would never let her outside on her own again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something darted through the shadows, its wings flapping silently in the darkness of the streets. She quickly sped after it, her feet slamming against the pavement. Great. She had to run after it. Why did she have to move to a small suburban town? If this was a city, she could easily summon a taxi cab to chase after this demon. (If demons lived in cities anyway.)

The demon flew up a pathway leading upwards through a thick forest. Rima groaned in exasperation and continued her pursuit, ignoring the aching pain in her legs. She didn't remember a path like this in the town. The sight of a mansion came into view as they turned around a corner in the path. The demon flew right over the front gate as Rima stopped, holding onto her knees for support. Using whatever little energy she had left, she directed one of her rings of spiritual energy right at the demon. It shrieked as its wings were perfectly sliced off. Rima winced. She was hoping to attract less attention. The last thing she wanted was being accused of being a trespasser.

She looked at the gate and saw that there was a lock. Apparently, you needed some kind of combination in order to unlock it. Rima sighed. She needed to get a closer distance if she wanted to send the demon's body away. That meant she had to climb over the gate. It was a foot taller than her and she wasn't exactly very agile. She looked around for another entrance. At the far end of the brick wall attached to the gate, there was a hole large enough for a dog to fit through. There were no other openings and the brick wall was as tall as the gate.

Seeing no other choice, Rima got on her hands and knees and crawled through. When she reached the other side of the brick wall, she instantly started brushing off the grass and dirt on her legs and hands. She needed to remind herself later to wash her hands when she got home.

The sound of something striking against cement caught her attention.

Across the flower beds, Rima saw a sharp metal point being driven right through the demon. Its hand was reaching out as if calling for help, its fingers twitching ever so slightly. Her eyes slowly followed the metal point to the person who was holding it.

"Hoshina?"

The said girl narrowed her eyes at her in disgust, "I warned you last time, Mashiro: Dare come across my prey again I won't hesitate on attacking you."

"Oh really? For your information, I saw this demon first." Rima could sense there was something off about Utau today. She could see a competitive fire flare in her violet eyes.

She held out her trident defiantly in front of her, "I won't let you interfere this time. I don't care if you say it will never happen. Unless I see him completely disappear in front of my eyes, I'll still believe in that chance that I might see him again." Without warning, Utau lunged forward with her trident.

* * *

Amu yawned loudly, lifting herself up from her bed in a sitting position. What was going on? She heard some loud noise downstairs. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she got up from bed and went down to the first floor. When she finally arrived, she was greeted with the sight of the ghosts gathered around the window, all of them trying to make themselves look as small as possible.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked. All of them shushed her, their faces reading desperation for her to keep quiet. Curious, she came closer to see what they were looking at.

Through the window, she saw two girls facing each other in the front yard of the house. She instantly recognized who they were the instant she saw the trident and the occult rings floating around one of the girls.

"_Rima and Hoshina-san?! But what are they doing here?" _A horrifying thought came to her, _"Maybe they already found out that there are ghosts living here and came here to kill them! Wait a minute, why are they fighting?" _Utau and Rima were talking to each other about something, and from the looks on their faces, Amu could tell that none of them were pleased to see each other.

Utau suddenly lunged forward with her trident, aiming straight at Rima. Amu gasped in horror, expecting to see the weapon drive straight through Rima's body, but one of the occult rings flew right in front of her to block her attack. Utau didn't stop there, continuously attempting to strike Rima but the rings of spiritual energy kept blocking her attacks. Even though they were outside, the window was thin enough for Amu to make out what they were saying to each other.

"You're always running away from your problems," Utau said to Rima, "Pretending that you don't care if something horrible happens. Lies. All lies. You do care. You're just too chicken to let other people in on your problems."

"I'm no worse than you," Rima said coolly, "The second you're convinced with something, you always stick to it. You always believe whatever you think is right must be correct. Have you ever considered that maybe your brother _doesn't want_ to be found? What if the reason that you can't find him is because he's purposely avoiding you?"

"That can't be! Why would he avoid me? I'm his sister! There's no way he would do that!"

"I'm just saying that it's a possibility. If he remembers you anyway."

Utau struggled to come up with some kind of comeback, "And what about you? Have you ever thought about how your friend died?"

"It's none of your business," Rima hissed.

"If you hadn't done what you did back then, he wouldn't have died with such a big regret in his heart."

She was confused, "What regret?"

"Don't lie to me. You know very well what kind of regret, midget."

An agitation mark appeared on Rima's forehead. Even though Amu only knew her for a short while, she knew very well that Rima did not appreciate being made fun of her height.

"At least I'm not an incest girl," she retorted.

A look of disgust crossed Utau's face, "Are you kidding me? I do _not _think of my brother in that way."

"_Sure _you do," Rima said sarcastically, "There is no way desperately looking for someone who is already past dead can be interpreted as romantic."

"Midget."

"Incest girl."

Amu sighed while the ghosts continued to watch in amusement. If they didn't do something, this was going to go on forever. She knew none of the ghosts would be willing to stop them since they were both a demon hunter and an exorcist. Did the two even realize that they were in front of someone's house in the middle of the night? She quietly made her way to the front door and cautiously stepped out. Utau and Rima were still bickering with each other, exchanging insults back and forth.

"Stubby legs."

"Brother complex."

"Umm……" They both turned at the sound of Amu's voice. Amu wondered whether or not it was good idea to go out at the middle of the night in her pajamas.

"Oh hi, Amu," Rima greeted her casually as if they ran into her on the street.

"What are you doing here?" asked Utau, surprised, the irritation on her face gone.

A sweatdrop slid down Amu's forehead, "This is my house."

Rima fanned herself with her hand nonchalantly, "Can I go in then? I'm tired."

"No!" Amu said a little too quickly, causing looks of suspicion from Rima's and Utau's faces. "W-Well, what I mean is that it's late, and I don't want to cause you guys any trouble."

Rima smiled gently at her, "Don't worry about it. I was planning on leaving anyway." She shot a glare in Utau's direction before turning around to walk out the front gate.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" When Amu shook her head, Utau asked, "Is there anyone in your house that goes by the name of Tsukiyomi?"

"No. There are not a lot of people in my house anyway." Not to mention, there was no one that even bore a close resemblance to Utau.

"I see….Thanks." Even though she said that, Amu could see a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "If only that bastard hadn't went after him when he came to Japan, I could've gotten a chance to talk to him after so long….."

"….Are you okay?"

Utau shook her head furiously, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She started to walk away until Amu stopped her.

"Wait!" She went up to her, "About Rima……" Utau's face creased into a frown, "….I don't know what exactly happened between the two of you. But……I don't think the two of you are very different from each other. You're both stubborn. You're both perceptive about things. You both had someone close to you who died. I know you would probably say otherwise, but that's what I think. Besides…no matter what kind of circumstances it took place in, having someone you know die is not a pleasant thing." For some reason, a pang of sadness filled her heart. If Utau wasn't standing in front of her, Amu would've let a tear slide down her cheek.

Utau noticed the look on Amu's face, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm just fine."

Little did she know, she was going to shed a lot more tears in the near future.

* * *

**A/N: **I am the writer, this story is on its 40th chapter, and I just realized that I feel sorry for Amu for all of things she had to go through in this story. -_- I can't believe I just noticed this now. Ugh. Anyway, I'm going to try to speed up the plot as much as I can. I really have no clue what chapter this story will end at.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: **Ugh. I'm so busy this week. Like I said, spring is not my season. The only good thing is that I get to see cherry blossom petals flying all around. Yay.

**Maya: **Yaya is in no way, related to any of the ghosts. She is just there to keep things light and humorous, give moral support to Amu later on in the story, give information regarding Utau, Rima, the town, or the Hinamori mansion, and give a hint to what kind of character Raiden is.

**Vampiress-Hannah-Tsukiyomi: **Amu is 16 years old in this. As I've said to some of the other reviewers on here, you just have to sit tight and wait to see what kind of ending I'll give the pairings.

Just in case I get other questions like this, Rima, Nagihiko, and Tadase are the same age as her. Yaya is 15 while Kairi is 14. Kukai and Utau are the same age in this one, 17 years old. Now, I understand the first Encore chapter said that Utau was older than Kukai by 3 years, however, when I first published this fanfic which was when way before the chapter was released, I had no clear idea about what Utau's actual age was, so I made her the same age as Kukai in this one. Ikuto is 21 years old in this fanfic, even though he doesn't really act like his age. =/

* * *

_I only sought to improve myself because I was told to do so. As the son destined for becoming the next generation, it didn't come as a surprise. But after that incident, I resolved to improve myself not only to become someone I can be proud of, but also to protect those dear to me._

_

* * *

_

A small girl sat alone in the playground at the back of the school. She was doodling pictures in the ground with a small stick. All of the other kids were in their individual groups, sliding down the slides and swinging back and forth on the swings. No one came to talk to her.

A small boy slowly came up to her. He was hiding something behind his back, fidgeting ever so slightly. He fixed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and started to speak.

"H-Hinamori-sempai!" he stuttered. The girl looked up at the sound of her name. He held out something in front of him, "T-Take this!" It was a small giftbox. "It's your birthday today, right? S-So I went out to buy you a present and thought this might suit you….."

She untied the ribbon and took off the lid, taken back by what was inside. It was a small red plaid case that could be strapped to your side. A heart, a spade, and a clover were sewn on it. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she broke out into a wide smile.

"Thank you!" she said to the boy. The boy blushed and looked down at his feet in embarrassment, yet he couldn't help shooting a small smile back at her in return.

* * *

Amu stretched out her arms as she got ready for school. It was another ordinary morning. She put on her tie and noticed the red plaid case on the table beside her bed. It sat among the other trinkets on the table. A small charm with the words: "matching" was next to the case. A black heart hairclip and a black ring with a cat head on it also surrounded the case. A large teddy bear sat near the leg of the table.

Thinking about it for a few moments, Amu took the case and strapped to the belt around her waist.

* * *

"It's so hot," Yaya whined. It was now lunchtime, her and Amu now sitting in the backyard of the school, having lunch. Yaya was fanning herself with a piece of paper. Amu had all of her pink hair tied up in a ponytail.

Amu took a sip from her water bottle, "I swear, why doesn't this school have enough rooms with air conditioners?" Her cheeks were red and drops of sweat slid down her face. The heat was making her vision swim, and she felt like she was going to fall over any moment.

"You okay?" Yaya asked, concerned, "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Amu reassured her, "It's just the heat getting into me."

"You sure? Do you need my parasol?"

They looked up to see Rima standing before them, holding a white parasol in her hand, shielding her from the harsh sun rays. She also held a glass of fruit juice in her hand, sipping it through a straw. Her long butterscotch curls were tied back in a ponytail.

"No fair, Rima-tan!" Yaya complained, "How come you get to carry around an umbrella while we only have this much shade?" The shadow the school building casted off was barely long enough to shade Amu and Yaya from the sun.

"It's called thinking ahead," Rima answered bluntly.

"_Or more like taking advantage of people," _thought Amu. She could guess that she got those things from her fanboys. At least they weren't following her, fanning her with paper fans to keep her cool. She groaned when another wave of nausea surged through her body.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse, Amu-chi," Yaya said worriedly, "You really don't look too good."

"I told you. I'm fine." Despite those words, her head ached terribly. Why of all days did this have to happen to her? Not only was it hot today, but she had her treasured plaid case with her. A present from a treasured friend….

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Amu managed to have no more episodes of nausea or headaches, much to her relief. After assuring Yaya and Rima a bunch of times that she was fine, she headed home. All of the ghosts were doing their daily chores by the time she arrived. When she went to her room, she noticed something was missing.

The large teddy bear that sat beside her bed was gone.

Panic started to swell up inside her. Where did it go?! She hurried out of the room and saw Tadase wiping the windows with a towel.

"Tadase-kun, have you seen a teddy bear anywhere?" she asked him.

"I think I saw it in the laundry," Tadase replied, "If you're looking for it, the laundry room is downstairs, right next to the basement."

"Okay. Thanks!" Amu went downstairs and saw two closed doors. She opened one of them and saw Ikuto standing next to a basket of clothes. He was holding her teddy bear above one of the washing machines, the lid flapped open. Her shoes squeaked against the marble floor as she ran over and snatched the teddy bear away from him.

Amu held the teddy bear to her chest, "What are you doing?"

"My job…..?" Ikuto answered unsurely. He couldn't understand why she was making such a fuss. "The others were complaining that I barely do anything so I had to do the laundry."

"That doesn't mean you take stuff from my room without permission!"

He shrugged, "I'm just doing you a favor. It's not good if you leave stuff like that unwashed for too long. What if it smells?"

"Then I'll wash it myself then," she said simply. She cuddled the stuffed animal, relieved that she got it back. Ikuto shook his head and bent down to get something from the basket.

Amu was confused when she heard snickers coming from the taller catboy.

Ikuto was attempting to hide his laughter with his hand over his mouth, but failed. He was holding something in his other hand, which was hidden from view because of his back. He stood up and turned around to reveal what it was.

It was a pair of pink underwear with a black X pattern on it.

Blushing furiously, Amu took her underwear out of his grasp, mortified that Ikuto just saw her lingerie. It was even worse that he kept snickering even when she took it off of his hands.

"I can't believe….that you wear that kind of underwear," he said between fits of laughter.

"It's not funny! And what's wrong with it?! I-It's not like anyone is going to see it anyways!"

As soon as she said that, a sly smirk made its way on Ikuto's face, "You sure about that?" He came closer, making Amu step back a little.

"W-What?" she asked nervously. He reached out and flipped up her skirt, revealing the red underwear underneath it.

"Ah!" Amu's hands quickly pushed her skirt back down again, her cheeks burning bright red as a tomato.

"Hm….Well, it's certainly a lot better than the other one," Ikuto commented.

A vein bulged on Amu's forehead. A fiery aura of anger slowly started to surround her. Her golden eyes glinted dangerously, "Why you perv-"A sudden wave of nausea surged through her body, causing her to stagger.

Concern filled Ikuto's face, "Amu?" Swaying from side to side, she fell forward, and would've hit the ground had Ikuto not caught her in time. "Amu!" He shook her gently, "Keep yourself together! Amu!"

"Iku…to…." She muttered as her eyelids slid shut, darkness swallowing up her world.

* * *

The sky was painted with hues of purple, pink, yellow, and orange. The image of the setting sun reflected in the person's luminescent scarlet orbs. The last of the sun rays shined down on the gleaming horns on top of the girl's head. Amu stepped back fearfully. However, she bumped right into a wall, with no other way of escape. The girl just came closer and closer.

"_Go away…" _she pleaded desperately in her mind, _"Go away!"_

"Hinamori-sempai, watch out!" She turned around to see a boy running towards them, holding out a wooden sword in his hand. At that moment, the girl's hand transformed into a small blade and she charged forward, aiming straight for Amu's heart.

* * *

Amu sat straight up in bed, cold sweat dripping down her face. She felt a little dizzy. What was going on?

"You're awake."

She looked to her left and saw Ikuto sitting on a chair besides her bed.

"What happened?" she asked. She remembered going to the laundry room to get her teddy bear, being teased by him because of her underwear, and blacking out.

"You fainted," he replied, "I brought you up here. Tsukasa says that you are sick."

"But I'm not-"she began to protest until Ikuto brought his hand to her forehead.

"See? You do have a fever." Amu was reminded of the time when Ikuto touched her to prove to her that he was a ghost. The sensation was terrifying, never failing at leaving Amu shuddering in fear. But now it was different. His touch was still icy cold, but for some reason, it made her heart beat fast and her cheeks to flush. What was this feeling?

A loud knock on the door snapped her out of her daze. Ikuto pulled his hand away and went over to open it. The door swung open to reveal Tsukasa standing in the doorway with a bowl of soup.

"I have some soup to help you feel better." He came over and gently set the bowl on the table beside her bed. Amu was about to take a mouthful with her spoon when she remembered something.

"…..You didn't cook this, did you?" she asked him.

"No. Kairi-kun did." Amu sighed with relief. If Tsukasa cooked something for her, she would probably get even sicker.

Her cellphone suddenly vibrated loudly on the table. Before she could see who it was, Tsukasa picked up the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Eh? Where's Amu-chi?"_

Instantly recognizing the voice, Amu tried to get her phone back from Tsukasa, "Wait! That's Yaya!"

Tsukasa turned away from her, "Oh, she's sick in bed right now. I don't think she'll have any time to play with you."

"_Really?! Yaya knew there was something wrong with Amu-chi today! Hey, wait a minute. Who are you?"_

"I'm Hinamori-san's head butler," he said with a smile, "Call me Tsukasa-san if you want." Before Yaya could respond, Amu snatched her phone out of Tsukasa's hands and brought it to her ear.

"Yaya, I'm here."

"_Amu-chi! Why didn't you tell Yaya that you had a butler?! Also, you should've listened to us when we said that you didn't look okay!"_

Amu sighed, "I know. I know."

"_That does it! Yaya is coming over to your house! And she'll bring Rima-tan along too!"_

Amu froze, "What?! But Yaya-" It was too late. Yaya had already hung up, getting ready to go over to her house. Amu let her hand drop limply to her side.

This was just not her day.

* * *

Rima tapped her fingers against the wood impatiently. Utau stared intently at the wall. Nobuko sat in her armchair between them, rubbing her temples.

Never again, she swore, that she will have both of them in the same room.

"So? Are you going to answer my question?" asked Rima. She had come to ask about some rumors she heard.

"I can see why you would be interested in them," said Nobuko, "But, even if they did exist, I don't think they're anything to be concerned about."

"Hey." Both of them turned their heads in Utau's direction, "Even though I'm a demon hunter, doesn't mean that I know everything about other demon hunters."

"I'm not just talking about one demon hunter in particular. I'm talking about a whole family of demon hunters."

This got her attention, "A whole family?"

Rima looked at Nobuko, "You know a lot about the town's legend, right? I know my family is one of the few who are exorcists, but what about demon hunters?"

"From what I guess, after the events that took place in the legend, some of the demon hunters moved to other places and spread their ideas there," answered Nobuko, "I'm not so sure if any of them spread it to their relatives also, but I think only the ones who strongly hated the supernatural spread the method of hunting demons throughout their generations."

"I also heard that demons have been popping up in cities too. Though most of the people living there dismiss it as some urban legend." Rima frowned, "I don't get it. The legend made it sound like demons only showed up in Harima. Nowhere else. So why…?"

Nobuko went over to the table behind her and took out something from a drawer. It was two drawings of something. One drawing depicted a creature with a large bulk and slumped over slightly. Another drawing depicted something that looked very human but its eyes had a wild and psychotic look to them.

"There are two different stages a ghost goes through when it becomes a demon," Nobuko started to explain, "Ghosts keep the same appearance they have if they were supposedly still alive. The first stage is when the ghost still keeps most of its human-like characteristics but there are a few characteristics that distinguish it from a normal human being. Demons at this stage are usually more dangerous, because their powers are at its full peak and can sneak around at daytime with ease. Only at nighttime do they show their true form."

"That's how no one notices if a demon lives in a city," Rima realized.

She nodded, "Exactly. The second stage is when a demon has lost all of its sanity and its powers become terribly weakened because of it. They lost their human-like look and are forced to go into hiding during the daytime."

"How long does it take for a demon to reach the second stage?" Utau asked suddenly. Rima raised an eyebrow at her question. Why was she so interested?

Nobuko thought about it for a moment, "Let's see….About two to three weeks at most."

"Oh…." Utau looked disappointed, "That's probably why I can't find him…."

"Rima-tan!"

The door to the shop swung open, revealing a twintailed brunette with a determined look on her face.

"Yaya? What are you doing here?"

Yaya went over to Rima and placed her hands on her shoulders, "Amu-chi's sick! We're going to see her right away!"

Rima's facial expression remained nonchalant, "That's it?"

"Of course that's it! Aren't you worried, Rima-tan?"

"It was obvious from the beginning. If someone keeps dazing off, and look like they're going to throw up any second, of course that person will be sick."

One of Utau's blonde twintails twitched, "Hinamori's sick?" A flash of guilt briefly showed in her violet eyes. Then she placed her hands on her hips, "Alright. I'm coming with you."

"Huh?"

"I said I'm coming with you," she repeated, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only coming because I have to make up for rudely coming to her house before."

"_You're obviously worried…."_

_

* * *

_

Tadase gingerly placed a bouquet of flowers before the aged well. Kairi watched as he carefully arranged the flowers and made sure they were bound together tightly. The tree branches above them shook as a gentle breeze blew past over the vicinities of the Hinamori mansion. Nagihiko leaned his back against the trunk of a tree, listening to the chirp of the birds overhead.

When Tadase was finished, he stood up, brushing off the dirt on his hands, "There. At least the person who died down there can rest in peace."

"I still can't see why you would do something like this though," said Kairi.

Nagihiko chuckled, "Kind of ironic when you think about it. We're the dead honoring the dead."

"Did our relatives even put flowers on our graves at all?" Kairi wondered.

"I'm sure they did. Even though we can't remember them, I'm sure our families weren't heartless enough to not visit our graves at all."

Kairi stared intently on the bouquet of flowers resting before the well. An image of a boy crouching before two gravestones, sobbing, flashed before his eyes.

"_Mama…..Papa…" _he heard the boy mutter through his stifled cries.

"Guys!" The sudden shout made Kairi snap out of his daze. He turned around to see Kukai running towards them, "Tsukasa says we're having guests this afternoon."

"Really? What kind of guests?" Kairi hoped that it wasn't Raiden. He didn't hold much of a grudge or fear towards him as the other ghosts did. He just had a bad feeling that Raiden was up to no good.

Kukai shrugged, "Apparently Hinamori's friends. Also, he said that he was going take Ikuto somewhere."

Tadase blinked, "But where would he want to go?"

"Who knows? Something about a music fair in the city."

They were walking out of the forest to the side of the mansion. Behind a couple of trees, you could see the long brick wall that stretched to the front gate. The flowers swayed back and forth as the wind continued to blow over the area of the mansion. Nagihiko stopped when he thought he saw something.

Kukai noticed, "Eh? What's wrong?"

"I think our guests are here." The rest of the ghosts turned their heads in the direction Nagihiko was looking at. From the distance, they could see a tall girl with long twintails, a girl with large red ribbons in her hair, and the top of someone's blonde head.

Kairi realized something, "Hey. Isn't one of them the demon hunter we saw last night?"

* * *

A few minutes later they found a note in the living room written by Tsukasa. The note read:

"_I'm going out to take Ikuto-kun to the music fair in a nearby city. We'll be back soon. Hinamori-san's friends are probably going to come over. I think their names were: Yaya Yuiki and Rima Mashiro. Make sure to treat them well! Have fun!"_

Nagihiko shook his head, "He's so making fun of us…." Not to mention, he even drew a little smiley face at the bottom of the paper for good measure.

Kairi looked out the window. The three girls were at the gate now, wondering how to open it. He secretly let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, there was a lock on the gate so they couldn't get through. Just as he thought that, one of the girls went forward and swung open the gate.

….The ghosts watched them enter the front yard of the mansion with horror.

Kukai was shocked, "But how-"

"Tsukasa-san must have left it unlocked," Tadase figured out. Kairi brought his hand to his face in dismay. Did that man have a pleasure for torturing them?

"They're coming closer!" All of them ducked behind a couch, trying to make themselves as small as possible. A loud knock on the door made all of them jump. They knew very well who it could be.

"One of us has to go get the door," said Kairi. Even though he considered himself the calmest and collected of the group, there was no way he was up to greeting a demon hunter and an exorcist at the front door.

Nagihiko turned to Kukai with a pleasant smile on his face, "Kukai, you're the oldest so you should go."

"No way!" he protested quickly, "Y-You guys know that I'm not that formal and whatever, so one of you three should go."

Kairi quickly thought up an excuse, "However, my social skills are not exactly perfect so either Tadase-sempai or Nagihiko-sempai should go."

Tadase looked at Nagihiko, his face now a perfect example of a puppy dog pout, a dozen of sparkles shining off his face, "Will you go in my place?"

The long-haired boy sweatdropped, "That sparkly attack is not going to work on me, Tadase."

He stuck out his bottom lip, "But you were the first one to know about the demon hunter and the exorcist, right? So you should go."

Nagihiko tried to change the subject back to Kukai, "B-But as the oldest, Kukai has to set an example for his kohai, right?"

Meanwhile, Ami was heading down the stairs to the kitchen. She was feeling rather thirsty and wanted to go get a drink. She noticed the three girls at the front door and looked at the ghosts crouching behind a couch. They seemed to be arguing about something. Shrugging her shoulders lightly, she went over to open the door.

* * *

Yaya blinked, "Why's no one answering?" She and the others had been standing before the front door for about ten minutes. She could understand why Amu wouldn't come down to answer the door, but what about that head butler that talked to her on the phone? As the butler for the Hinamori family, wouldn't it be polite for him to open the door for her?

"Maybe we should knock down the door," suggested Utau.

"No way! We'll get in trouble if we destroy someone's property!"

Rima nodded her head in agreement, "For once, I agree with Hoshina. If they're not opening it for us, then we open the door ourselves." Yaya looked between the two of them nervously. Utau's violet eyes were serious, and she didn't look like she was going to be swayed away from her decision.

At that moment, the door swung open to reveal a preteen girl with brown hair, grinning brightly at them, "Welcome! Are you sis' friends?"

Utau recognized her immediately, "Hey….You're that girl I met at the bridge, right?"

The girl nodded, "Yep! I'm Ami! Sis is sleeping upstairs so don't wake her up, okay? If you want, I can give you the tour of the place!" Ami slowly lead them inside, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

"..Alright. We'll decide this with a game of rock, paper, and scissors." Kukai stood up, holding out his fist, "Rock, paper…"

The sound of the door being swung open interrupted him. "Welcome!" Ami cheerfully greeted the guests. All of the ghosts froze, glancing at each other fearfully.

Nagihiko groaned, "I guess Ami-chan didn't know yet."

"What do we do now?" Tadase whispered.

Kukai frantically tried to come up with a good idea, "Um….We could pretend we're furniture!"

Kairi stared at him as if he had gone mentally insane, "That's got to be the most idiotic thing I've heard from you."

"No, it isn't! Think about it! If we put a bucket on Tadase's head, then we can pretend he's this tall lamp!" Kukai wildly gestured his hands towards Tadase, trying to give Kairi the mental picture of Tadase disguised as a lamp.

Kairi scrunched his brows together in a frown, his eyebrow slightly twitching, "That's your brilliant plan?" Kukai bobbed his head up and down eagerly. Nagihiko did one long look at Tadase, and then quickly brought his hand to his mouth to stifle a chuckle.

"It's not funny, Nagihiko," Tadase complained. He wasn't exactly pleased that Kukai was comparing him to a lamp.

"Anyway, this is the living room-"Ami walked into the room with the three girls behind her. They stopped when they noticed the ghosts standing behind the couch. Each of their faces read shock, surprise, confusion, and basically anything along those lines. A sweatdrop slid down each of the ghosts' forehead.

"_We're so dead…."_

_

* * *

_

Amu yawned as she turned over in her sleep. She felt a lot more relaxed thanks to that recent nap she just had. Who cares if Yaya and Rima came over? She could just ask the ghosts to go into hiding. No big deal.

Just as she thought that, she opened her eyes to see the ghosts standing on one side of the bed, and her friends standing on the other. The ghosts sent her a pleading look while her friends shot her a stern one, demanding an explanation.

_"This really is just not my day," _she thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Before some fans jump me and slit my throat for seemingly making up some random excuse so Ikuto won't meet Utau, Ikuto _will _appear in the next chapter. It's just that I'm going to use him to introduce another character that plays a big role in the ghosts' past. On another hand, yes, they finally get to meet each other. Previous chapter was just to tease you all. (....Slightly.) Next chapter will be posted when I get past my exams and manage to survive them all.


	42. Chapter 42

Kairi swung his wooden sword with ease, attacking the dummy multiple times in succession. A man watched him silently from afar as he continued lashing out strikes at the dummy. Kairi suddenly stopped, panting heavily for air. Seeing this, the man quickly got up from his seat and handed him an asthma pump from his pocket. Taking it gratefully, Kairi brought it to his mouth and took in a breath of air.

"You're getting better," the man commented, "Soon you'll just be like your old man." He affectionately ruffled his son's hair, "Don't let your asthma get you down. Every demon on the block will come to fear you! And when that day comes, I'll give you your own weapon to slay demons. You won't have to use that old wooden kendo sword anymore."

His forest green eyes glittered with glee, "Really? You promise, Papa? I'll become a great demon hunter just like you?"

He grinned widely, "Of course!" He bent down to Kairi's height and pulled him into a gentle embrace. Kairi remembered there was once a time when his father smelled of tobacco and smoke. His mother used to never let his father hold him until he swore to quit. He slowly wrapped his arms around his father, accepting the embrace. They'll be fine, he promised to himself. Soon, the day will come when their medical condition would become the least of their worries.

* * *

Ikuto pressed his back against his seat in the car. He turned his head slightly to see the distant figure of the Hinamori mansion.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Tsukasa turned the wheel of the car as he drove them through the streets of Harima.

Ikuto stared at Tsukasa's reflection in the mirror, "Do you think they'll be okay?"

He cocked an eyebrow at his question, "That's rare. For you to express concern for your fellow co-workers."

Ikuto placed his hands behind his head, "It's nothing. It's just that I think you're being a bit cruel for leaving the gate unlocked so Amu's friends can easily go in."

Tsukasa laughed innocently, "Ahahaha. What are you talking about, Ikuto? I'm only making the job easier for them, that's all. Besides…" He pressed the brake at a red light and turned around to face Ikuto with a smile on his face, "….it's fun watching them having a hard time."

"Please don't make that face while you're saying things like that. You look like a creeper."

The traffic light switched to green light and Tsukasa pressed the gas pedal, "Don't worry about it. The demon hunter wouldn't really care about them since she only has one goal focused in mind. Also, even though the exorcist seems cold, I don't think she's heartless enough to banish you guys to the spirit world forever. And along with that, another reason is…." One of his hands went off the wheel to scratch his forehead, "One of the Paranormal Attendants is going to make her head spin around in circles and that will give her no time wondering about whether or not you guys are actually ghosts."

"You're really that confident." Ikuto pressed a button and the window next to him slid down. The wind made his blue hair blow about in the breeze. He took in a deep breath and stuck his head out of the window.

Tsukasa noticed this, "You know, I've always compared you to a cat but the way you're doing that reminds me of a dog."

"Shut up. I can't handle cars that well." He glanced in the rear window, images of houses, shops, and cars passing by. But he didn't saw those images. Instead, he saw a black car going after them, almost as if trying to corner him.

* * *

"Anyway, they are my butlers and only have been recently serving my family," Amu explained to Yaya, Rima, and Utau. The three were standing before her like she was on interrogation whether or not she was innocent.

Yaya pouted, "That's not fair, Amu-chi. You should've told Yaya that you had a butler."

Amu froze, desperately thinking up some kind of excuse, "I-I couldn't find an appropriate time to tell you."

"So…." Utau crossed her arms over her chest, "Are you going to introduce them to us?"

"Oh….Um…." Amu gestured over to Tadase, "This is Tadase. He's the same age as me and Rima."

Tadase bowed his head politely, "I-It's nice to meet you." He tried his best not to look too nervous.

"Nice to meet you too!" Yaya greeted back. Utau just nodded her head while Rima eyed him suspiciously.

"This is Kairi." Amu introduced the boy next, "He's a year younger than Yaya."

Yaya frowned, "Really? He doesn't look like it." Amu had to admit, that was true. He was pretty tall for a fourteen year old.

Kairi cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm one of Ojou-sama's butlers. Pleased to meet you."

"Hey, can Yaya call you Iinchou?" Yaya asked suddenly.

Kairi sweatdropped, "Iinchou?"

Rima tilted her head to get a better look at him, "You're right...He does kind of look like one."

Kukai, who had been hiding in the corner with Nagihiko, came over, placing a hand under his chin, "Hm…..You've got glasses, always organized, talk formally, and always willingly follow anyone's orders."

"Not always," Amu disagreed, "He has his own will after all."

"That's because you never order him around," Kukai pointed out, "Watch. Give him one order and he'll do exactly what you say."

She started to argue, "But-"

"Just try it."

"Um…." She hesitated, "Kairi….go…get me some milk, please?"

He took a deep bow, "Right away, Ojou-sama." He rushed out of the room. A few seconds later, he came back with a bottle of milk in his hand. "Here you go."

Kukai grinned triumphantly, "See?" He stretched out his arms and pretended to yawn, "Hey, Kairi. Give your sempai a massage will ya?"

Kairi placed his hands on his shoulders, "Of course, Ku-Wait a minute, you're not Ojou-sama!" He pull away swiftly, infuriated at himself for being so tricked easily.

"Kukai….That's not nice," Tadase said to him.

He shrugged, "I'm just giving an example."

"….Interesting." Rima went up to Kairi, "Hey, get us some snacks. You're the butler, right? Show your mistress' guests some hospitality."

And just like that, Kairi left the room to go get some snacks for the petite sixteen-year old girl.

Yaya was impressed, "You're good, Rima-tan. Yaya wishes she has your kind of talent."

"You do. It just involves throwing a tantrum and wailing until you get what you want."

Utau had been staring at Kukai oddly for the past few minutes. She could've sworn that she saw him before.

"Hey."

Kukai looked at her. "Are you that guy from that badminton tournament?"

He was confused, "Huh? But I didn't-"

She pointed at herself, "I'm the white cat. The one you faced at the finals."

"Oh, I see. You were the-Wait." His eyes widened with shock, "What?" In his mind, he was comparing the twintailed blonde to the white cat with a halo hovering over its head. How in the world they were the same person?

"You were wearing a cat costume?" Yaya asked, "You should've told us!"

"So your class was the one running a shop selling stuffed animals," Amu realized.

Rima made a face, "Such a shame. I would've taken a picture." Tadase went over to Kukai and waved a hand before his face. He was still in shock, his face twitching every now and then.

"You were good," Utau complimented Kukai, "However, you probably wouldn't have won if I wasn't wearing a costume."

At those words, Kukai snapped out of his daze, "Oh yeah? Than how about we have a rematch right here and now?" A competitive aura slowly started to surround the two.

"_What's with this atmosphere?" _Amu thought. It amazed her that Kukai, who was once afraid of Utau, managed to (somehow) get along with her. At least she didn't suspect anything.

Rima tugged on Amu's sleeve, "Amu." She pointed at Nagihiko, who had been secretly edging his way to the door, "You haven't introduced him to us yet." Nagihiko's foot stopped halfway through the doorway. Amu could tell that he was currently cursing himself for not making it out the door fast enough.

"That's Nagihiko. He's the same age as us." At the sound of his name, and much to her surprise, Nagihiko turned around with a pleasant and calm smile on his face. She thought that he would've freaked out.

"That smile is fake," Kukai whispered to her, "Nagihiko was always the great actor. I bet that he's secretly panicking inside and-"

A vein bulged on Nagihiko's forehead. "Shut up," he muttered with his smile still intact.

"Nagihiko, huh?" Yaya frowned, "That's a bit long. Can Yaya call you Nagi?"

"You may."

"Yay!" she cheered, "Nice to meet you, Nagi!"

"It's nice to meet you too…..Yaya-chan, Utau-chan, Rima-chan." For some reason, Rima stiffened at the sound of her name. Nagihiko noticed this, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Amu looked between the two of them, confused. What was this tension?

Kairi walked into the room, "There's some food ready downstairs."

"About time. I'm hungry," said Utau.

Yaya followed Kairi out the door along with Utau, "Yaya hopes there's some candy!"

Rima glanced at Amu, "I'm going with them." Before she went out the door, she stopped, as if she wanted to say something else. But then she hurried out without another word. Nagihiko stared after her in silence.

"Are you okay?" Amu asked him cautiously. She felt that she was probably poking her nose into business she didn't need to know.

He snapped out of his daze, "Huh? Oh. It's nothing…." Even though he said that, Amu could tell that there was something on his mind. What that thing was, she would probably never know.

* * *

Yaya nosily sucked on a lollipop in her mouth. Utau took one cracker from a bag and stuffed it into her mouth. Rima chewed away on a piece of Pocky with a nonchalant expression on her face.

The ghosts sweatdropped as they watched the girls eating away. Kairi couldn't help but wonder what it was like to starve. He was sure that it must not be very pleasant. But even if that were true, he wouldn't remember. He could only grasp hold of human emotions. Happiness, embarrassment, excitement, fear, sadness, guilt, nostalgia, and the main reason why they came into existence: regret.

"Hey, have you guys got any wishes for the Tanabata Festival?" Yaya asked them, "It's coming up soon." She held a fist up in the air, "Yaya's wish to get lots of candy!"

Kairi made a face, _"Just that?" _

Kukai gave it some thought, "Hm…..I don't know. I don't really have anything I want. Maybe….something that will affect the world or help me in some way."

Utau snorted, "That's it? There must be something you want."

He shrugged, "I'm telling you. I don't have anything I want." He turned to Tadase, who was sitting next to him, "Hey, Tadase. Do you have anything to wish for?"

"Of course I do." Kairi raised an eyebrow. It surprised him that Tadase would have something to wish for. He always came off as someone who would never take the easy way out or take advantage of such things to him. Then again, that was Kukai and Nagihiko.

"My wish is world domination," Tadase told Kukai. Kairi nearly fell flat on his face. How can he say that with an innocent look on his face?

"Um….That's a bit…."

"Out there?" suggested Nagihiko.

"Yeah! Plus, don't you think it will be kind of weird to just wake up one day and all of the sudden, you're the king of the world?"

"I guess that's true…." Tadase muttered, "What about you, Nagihiko? Do you have any wish you want to be granted?" Nagihiko flinched, startled by being asked such a question.

"I…I don't think I have any wish I want to be granted," he said after composing himself, "Besides, even if I did, I don't think it's something that can be easily granted."

"Does it have something to do with your last regret?" Tadase guessed.

"….Maybe."

"Rima-tan, do you have anything to wish for?" Yaya was talking with Rima while nibbling on some shrimp-flavored crackers. Rima remained silent, thinking. Nagihiko twitched but took a sudden interest in the layer of dust covering the wooden table across from him.

"I wish…..to be reborn as the goddess of comedy."

The sound of Nagihiko's head hitting against the table echoed across the room.

Utau waved her hand dismissively, "That's impossible. Besides, you already have boys who worship the ground you walk on. No need to start a new religion with you as a goddess." She paused, "Wait. They probably already consider you one."

"What kind of religion would that be?" Yaya wondered.

"What's wrong with it? There's no gods or goddesses that have control over comedy," Rima argued, "It's always over fire, water, sun, whatever, never anything else. And, when I say goddess, it doesn't necessarily mean I want to literally become one. It can just mean that I want to become a master on comedy." Even though her expression scarcely changed at all during the conversation, her honey-colored eyes flickered ever so slightly, indicating that everything she said before was a lie.

"Huh? What's this?" Yaya found something on top of a wooden cabinet. She stood on top of a chair and got it. It was a small photo frame with a photo of an elderly couple, a woman in glasses, a man trying to keep his balance, a girl dressed in a sweet Lolita dress, and another girl with pink hair, smiling brightly at the camera.

Kukai came over when he saw what it was, "Isn't that Hinamori?" All of them started to gather around for a closer look.

"Really? Amu-chi's so cute!" Yaya squealed. She placed a finger over the picture of the woman and the man, "Are they her parents?"

Rima had to squeeze between Utau and Kairi for a better look, "Now that I think about it, I don't see Amu's parents anywhere in this mansion."

"They're away on vacation," Kairi replied, "We don't know when they'll be coming back."

"Speaking of parents, are your families okay with you guys working here for the summer?" Utau asked, "Even though all of you are old enough to work, you guys should still be in school, right?"

"O-Oh…..Um….." They never thought about that. Even if their families were alive, none of them ever tried to contact them, for obvious reasons. The question caused pain to strike Kairi's head. A wave of memories started to overcome him. They were all disconnected to each other, unorganized. Memories of a man placing his cigarette on an ash tray, memories of holding an asthma pump, memories of waving a wooden sword about in his hands, memories of confronting a creature with striking scarlet red eyes, memories of a girl reaching out to pat his shoulder comfortingly.

"Kairi? What's wrong?" The sound of Nagihiko's concerned voice echoed loudly in his head. The memories were forcing down under the surface, suffocating him with the pain of recalling and various emotions that went by so quickly that he couldn't identify them. Finally, the pain ceased when one memory stood out more than the rest. He was clasping tightly onto someone's hand, staring up at a person dressed in a white lab coat. That person's voice drowned out any sound of his surroundings.

"_Bad news…..hospital…because of his smoking habit…lung cancer….stress too much to handle….heart attack….I'm sorry…..they're….dead…."_

"_Dead…"_

"Kairi? Kairi?" He looked up to see the concerned faces of the ghosts and Amu's friends. He felt a little dizzy, barely keeping his balance. His shoulders shook as he trembled.

"They're gone….." he muttered at last.

"What are you talking about?"

"Gone…" he kept muttering, "Not coming back….Forever…..They're dead. Dead."

_I'm sorry to inform you this, but, your mother and father….are now dead._

_

* * *

_

Amu stared up at the ceiling, frustrated. What were they doing down there? The ghosts had insisted on her getting some rest while they went to check on her friends. She knew they were just as scared as she was about Rima or Utau finding out that they were ghosts.

Unable to take it anymore, she got off of her bed. No. No matter what they said, she was going down to see what they were up to.

Opening the door, she headed for the staircase. She halted to a stop when she noticed one door was open. It was the door to Tsukasa's bedroom. Strange. Tsukasa usually closed the door to his bedroom whenever he headed out.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that there was something on the white round table that Tsukasa used whenever he wanted a spot of tea. Slowly entering the room, she came over to see that it was the same book she found in the basement. Shivers went up her spin when she remembered the last time she read it.

The book was flipped open to a page. Much to her surprise, there was yet another stanza on it. Like all of the previous ones, the font and size remained the same.

_One shall fall, and like a row of dominoes, the other shall follow suit_

_Disappearance is already inevitable_

_The corruption spreads like the breath of a dreaded disease, giving birth to new demons in the already accursed town_

_The reflection in the mirror is the window to the soul_

_Madness is not the only result, for Death has unpredictable motives for its victims_

_The sword leaves a trail of blood in its wake_

_The black cat shall awaken the souls, calling upon them for the final task_

_She, who is caught in the middle of this chaos, shall endure trials of hardship_

_As the candle glows brightly on the paper boat drifting downstream_

_For whatever action she takes, will affect the outcome of this game_

_Should the checkmate be performed, it is a game over_

Game over? Amu glanced at the chessboard to the left of the book. All of the chess pieces were scattered across the board. Just what kind of rules did this game go by?

* * *

Various colorful tents dotted the grassy field. People crowded around them, chatting to each other excitedly. The loud speakers boomed as various songs played in the background. The smell of cotton candy filled the air. Ikuto brought a hand to his ear as his eardrums ached from the loud noises.

"You don't look happy," Tsukasa commented.

A wooden sign was posted before them. Right beneath the huge letters reading: "Music Fair", read: "Hosted by Easter". Ikuto's face was twisted with displeasure and annoyance.

"Forget it. We're leaving," he said, already starting to head for the car.

"But I thought you wanted to come here because of the rumors that Aruto Tsukiyomi's violinist group might come here to perform," Tsukasa quickly reminded him.

"That man has been missing for who knows how many years. There's no way-" He stopped at the sound of someone singing. It was coming from a large monitor at the front of the fair. He came closer to see a girl with blonde hair tied up in twintails, singing into a microphone.

"_GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!_

_Taiyou no moto de hitomi somukezu ni ikite ikou_

_Soshitara megami mo higamu you na KISS wo…"_

A woman was standing before the monitor, chugging down a whole can of grape soda. She paused, making a face as she smacked her lips.

"Geez. What's with this place not having any alcohol?" she complained, "I don't care if this is a public event. I need a drink!" She slid her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Ah well. I hate this place anyway. Brings back terrible memories."

She turned around and noticed Ikuto staring at her for a while. She wore glasses over her pale purple eyes and had locks of deep red hair that reached to her shoulders. He couldn't help but think she shared striking similarities with Kairi.

"Who are you?"

* * *

**A/N: **Ah...More suspense. I'm starting to have a habit of doing this. A lot less humor this chapter. I was going to make the girls interact with the ghosts more, but...it was pushed to the next chapter instead of being in this one. Mainly because of chapter length. Constructive criticism is appreciated.


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: **First off, I am terribly sorry that this took so long. This chapter took longer than I had anticipated so it ended up being delayed for almost a week. T_T On the bright side, _Paranormal Attendants _now has over 300 reviews! *applause* I'd like to thank my readers who have been hanging tight with me even though there is a recent lack of updates due to schoolwork and my own laziness. It's been tough trying to finish a chapter before I upload it these past few weeks. I'm glad most of you still love this story despite these things. I hope to still hear some of your feedback for the months to come.

**Himahko Fyen: **It is fixed. Thank you for telling me this. I usually end up overlooking things during the editing process of my chapters. To all my other reviewers, please notify me if you notice mistakes in any of my chapters since I'm kind of lazy when it comes to editing.

**Mystic Melody Girl: **Amu does have some kind of power. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever go into that much depth into it.

* * *

Kairi groaned as he turned to his side in his bed. His face felt hot, cheeks burning bright red. He brought his hand to his mouth, coughing loudly. There was no energy in his limbs to move. He could hear the faint sound of someone entering the house outside of his bedroom.

"I'm home, Mom," said that person. The voice was muffled, but he instantly recognized who it was. "How's Kairi?"

"He's still sleeping. Can you give him this icebag, Yukari? I have to go to work soon."

"Okay." He could hear footsteps echo in the hallway, coming closer and closer to his bedroom door. Not wanting her to know that he had been awake all this time, he shut his eyes and breathed in through his nose slowly.

"Kairi? I'm coming in." Yukari swung open the door and placed her schoolbag by the entrance. "You're still practicing, aren't you?" She picked up the wooden sword placed delicately on the shelf in the corner of the room. Many marks could be seen carved into the wood of the sword, scars made from previous battles. "Honestly. This is why you got sick in the first place. You overwork yourself too much." Kairi suddenly felt something icy cold touch his forehead. It calmed him, relieved to be cooled off from the heat. He felt someone put her hand on his head, "Don't worry. Your big sister will always take care of you."

* * *

Ikuto blinked as he sat before a long wooden counter that stretched to the back of the room. The woman next to him waved over to the man on the counter to come over.

"I want a bowl of ramen with boiled eggs, pork, and some green spring onion topping," she ordered.

The man bowed, "Right away." He went to the back of the restaurant to give orders to the cooks in the back.

The woman turned her chair to face Ikuto, "Do you want anything?" When he shook his head, she shrugged and got up to go to the vending machine. A loud clang sounded as a can dropped out of the vending machine. She went back to her seat and took a sip.

"Um…..Not to be rude, but who the hell are you?"

After gulping down the last of her drink, she said, "I could ask you the same thing." She swiveled her chair around, "Even though I don't think I met you before, I'm sure that I heard of you from somewhere. What's your name?"

"…Ikuto."

"Ikuto, huh?....." She frowned, "Nope. Don't think I heard that name before." The man at the counter brought her the bowl of ramen she ordered. She took it gratefully, "I'm Yukari Sanjo. Heard the name before?"

"No." Even if he did, he wouldn't remember. As a ghost with no memories, he was quite out of what was going on in the world. He only knew what he heard from the other ghosts and Amu.

She took a pair of chopsticks and slurped some noodles, "I see. Though, that doesn't really surprise me since I was the one who managed to get Utau out of Easter in the first place."

"Utau?" He heard that name somewhere before. Probably from Amu.

"Yes. Utau Hoshina. The famous pop idol that quitted her career last year." She set her chopsticks beside the bowl, "Don't expect that you'll get any answers out of me about Utau's retirement. It surprised me too when she told me that she was going to retire." The edges of her lips curved upwards into a sad smile, "Though I have a vague idea of why she decided to do it. I lost my brother too after all."

Ikuto noticed that she was now absentmindedly stirring the noodles with her chopsticks. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He wasn't the type to be good at comforting people. That was Kukai's and Nagihiko's job. Kukai's goofy smile would lift anyone's spirits and Nagihiko always seemed to know what was the right thing to say. He was able to distract someone from the subject, but he couldn't erase a person's pain. He believed that the pain could only be erased by the person suffering from it. As a person whom she just met, he couldn't exactly say much.

In the end, he went for: "Your ramen's getting cold." This snapped her out of her daze, looking down at her bowl of ramen.

"Oh. Sorry about that." She brought a piece of pork to her mouth with her chopsticks. She then shook her head, after swallowing it down, "….I can't believe this. I am a grown woman now. I shouldn't be tearing up over things like this. Then again….Utau, in a sense, was the only family I had after my brother died. I was pretty heartbroken when she told me she was going to retire."

"Becoming Utau's manager was a dream for me. I came from a family of demon hunters. Before, it was originally planned that I became one until I told my parents I wanted a job in the business industry. Then it was decided that my little brother would be the heir. After my parents' death, I took responsibility of taking care of my brother until he was old enough to take care of himself."

"….But, my job as a manager kept me away from home a lot and my brother ended up doing most of the housework because I was too busy. Not to mention, I was working for Easter during that time, and my boss….wasn't exactly very nice. I often came back home so tired that I couldn't even speak or look at my brother. And because of that, I wasn't aware of what my brother was doing outside of the house."

Ikuto tensed, "What did he do?"

Yukari waved her hand dismissively, "It was nothing that dramatic. Apparently, my brother had been out slaying demons. I'm not exactly sure why, but I assume it had something with our parents' death. He was probably still suffering from it and was trying to get his mind off of it." She sighed, "I'm not upset over him dying. There was nothing I could've done when he faced that demon. I just wish I could've given him a better life as an older sister."

"What's your brother's name?" Ikuto asked, not sure what to expect next.

"I never told you? Kairi. Kairi Sanjo."

* * *

"Kairi fainted?"

Rima stared up at her friend's face and nodded. Amu had just entered the living room to see Kairi out cold on the couch. She told her everything, excluding what he said before he fainted. Even though she wasn't sure what was going on, she had a feeling that Kairi wouldn't appreciate her telling Amu about this.

"Onee-chan….."

Kairi was mumbling something while Nagihiko was fanning him with a piece of paper. Kukai's brow creased into a frown, as he came over with a confused look on his face.

"Are you gender-confused, Kairi?" Kukai asked him, "Because if you're talking to Nagihiko, it should be: 'Onii-chan'."

"Stop it, Kukai," Nagihiko said, "That joke's getting old." Even though his voice sounded calm, Rima could sense some irritation behind those words.

Ever since she met this guy, she felt bothered by his presence. She recognized his voice as the person she met back at the haunted house during the school festival. She felt a sense of familiarity to Nagihiko, almost as if she knew him somewhere before. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't remember. It frustrated her to no end.

There was a possibility….But no. She refused to believe it. There was no way he could've been him.

"Hm….? What's going on?"

Kairi slowly got up, confused on how he ended up on the couch, "Why am I here?"

"You passed out," Nagihiko told him, "You okay? You don't look so good."

Kairi looked down at his feet, "….I'm fine." Rima could see that his face was pale and filled with fear. Amu stared between Nagihiko and Kairi, confused. She looked at her for an answer but she shrugged. Rima knew very well it was a matter not to pry into too deeply, even though she was still curious on how a group of teenage boys managed to get hired as family servants.

"Arf!" Everyone looked up at the sound of a small bark from the corner of the room. A creame-colored dog wagged its tail from side to side.

In one split second, the tense silent atmosphere was broken. Yaya ran up to the dog, her arms spread out wide.

"Doggy!" she squealed as she wrapped her arms around the dog in an uncomfortable-looking embrace. Much to Rima's surprise, instead of whining like any dog would from being hugged so suddenly by a stranger, it barked happily.

"Cute," Utau said while petting the dog's head, "What's its name?"

"Akki," Amu replied, "We found him at our house one day and decided to take him in."

Kairi stayed a far distance away from the group. He seemed to be deep in thought, his face creased into a frown.

Noticing this, Yaya shouted, "Hey, guys! How about we play a game?"

"Game?" Everyone echoed.

"It's summer, right? What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word: 'summer'?"

"No school?"

"The beach?"

"The pool?"

"Being in the heat?"

"All of you guys are guessing the wrong thing," Yaya whined, "That's not it! It's…." She took in a deep breath, "Hitting watermelons!"

A long silence followed after that sentence.

"Hey! What's with that reaction?" She stuck out her bottom lip, pouting, "There's nothing wrong with it! Think of it like a competition."

This caught Utau's and Kukai's interest, "Competition?" Rima had a feeling this word would probably be brought up a lot around these two.

"Hey…How about we call off a rematch and do a contest on who can crack open the most watermelons?" Kukai asked Utau.

She smirked, "Sure. As long as you think you can beat me." Flames surrounded the pair, both of them obviously pumped up for a fight.

Amu brought her hand to her face, "Since when did this turn into a competition?"

Yaya blinked, "But competition is fun."

"Between them it is not!"

* * *

Out on the patio behind the Hinamori mansion, was a large checkered blanket set on the cobblestone floor. A bunch of watermelons tied together with a rope sat on the edge of the blanket. Kukai looked up at the sky with a relaxed look on his face. Tadase could see that he was excited about the "watermelon tournament" even though he didn't say it out loud.

"You sure are happy about this," Kairi said when he noticed it too, "Need I remind you that the person you are facing is a demon hunter? Don't do anything idiotic."

Kukai frowned, "I know that. Have some faith in me, why don't you?"

He just shrugged his shoulders, "If you say so. Good luck with the competition. You'll need it."

"Hey! I don't need luck! My own strength and abilities is all I need!" Tadase shook his head as he watched his friend did some (unnecessary) warm-up exercises. He couldn't help but feel as if he heard those words from somewhere before however. When he tried to remember, the first image that came to mind was a soccer field, people filling the bleachers, pumping their fists into the air and cheering loudly.

"Who's bringing the watermelons?"

Utau had arrived, taking a seat on the picnic blanket, "If we're going to have a competition, we need more watermelons than just this."

"I think Amu-chan and Rima-chan are bringing them over," said Nagihiko.

Kairi looked around, "They should've been here by now. Should we go look for them?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure they can handle themselves," Tadase assured him. As long as that Rima girl was with Amu, they should be fine, right?

* * *

Rima stopped, placing the watermelon in her hands on the floor, "I'm tired. Can we rest for a bit?"

Amu stopped and went to Rima's side, also placing down the sack of watermelons beside her's, "Sure." The pair had been carrying watermelons to the back of the mansion for a while now. Amu wondered why Kukai and Utau couldn't go get the watermelons themselves if they were the ones who were going to use them.

"Ah. Akki." The dog was pawing one of the watermelons in interest. Amu noticed that he was tugging the rope around it free with his teeth.

"Akki, stop that!" He didn't pay any attention to her however, and accidentally yanked the rope back with such force that a bunch of watermelons broke free, tumbling through the grass into the depths of the woods around the mansion.

"Oh no! The watermelons!" Amu desperately started chasing after the runaway watermelons, with Akki and Rima following closely behind her. When she stopped to catch her breath, the last she could see of the watermelons was them disappearing down the hill.

She groaned, "This is just great." She glared at Akki, who whined softly, realizing the mistake he just made.

"Should we go back?" Rima asked. The watermelons had landed into a small creek down below. The hill looked too steep to climb down.

Amu's shoulders slumped, "I guess…" Utau and Kukai weren't going to be happy hearing that they lost most of the watermelons. But then her hand reached up to scratch her head, "There's just one problem though."

"What?"

"I….don't remember the way back."

Nagihiko twitched as he felt the intense stares of his fellow co-workers.

"What?" he finally asked after a long silence.

"Aren't you going to go look for them?" Kukai asked, "Hinamori and Mashiro have been gone for a while."

"So? That's not my problem." What was the point they were trying to make?

"Someone has to go look for them," Kukai pointed out, "I can't go because I'm the only one of us participating. Hoshina and Yuiki can't go because they don't know their way around these parts."

Oh. That was the point they were trying to make. "Basically, you want me to go look for them."

He grinned, "Exactly."

Nagihiko waved his hand dismissively, "Offer rejected." You could imagine Kukai, Tadase, and Kairi being crushed under the weight of a giant stone kanji reading: "rejection". The trio crawled out from under it and started to huddle together in a group.

"What do we do? He's not being swayed by it at all!" Tadase whispered.

Kukai patted his shoulder, "Don't worry. I have a plan."

Kairi sighed, "Why do I have a feeling it's going to be something incredibly stupid?"

"_Don't they know that I can hear every word they say?" _Nagihiko thought with a sweatdrop. Even though he knew that someone should be looking for Amu and Rima right now, something held him back. It was fear. It wasn't like he was afraid of being cut in half by Rima. Every time he was in her presence he was afraid of what to say to her. Afraid that if he said the wrong thing, he would accidentally tick her off. Not to mention, he was certain that he somehow knew Rima one way or another. The more time he spent with Rima, the faster he would recover his memories. The very thought shook him to the core. He was scared of remembering. If he got all of his memories back…there was a chance he would disappear. If he disappeared…the weight on his heart would never vanish. Such a disappearance…was what he feared the most.

"Nagihiko." When he turned his head to look, he was greeted with the sight of an Amu puppet and Rima puppet on each of Kukai's hands.

"What the-"

"Imagine this scenario," Kukai started to explain, "Hinamori and Mashiro are peacefully walking over to this side of the house until suddenly, a large bear started to attack them from nowhere!"

Tadase, who was strangely, dressed up in a bear costume, held up one of his "paws", "R-Rawr."

"There are no bears in Harima." He swore: Kukai came up with the worst arguments ever.

Unfortunately, Kukai wasn't swayed at all, "Fine! How about if one of them falls into a river in the woods?"

An agitation mark appeared on Nagihiko's forehead, "Why is it that most of your crazy scenarios involve one of them getting in danger?"

"What? You don't like it?"

"Of course I don't!" Besides, even if one of them did get in trouble, he was confident that they could manage themselves. Kukai was just trying to get him worried. For some odd reason, the thought of being worried caused his head to ache.

"_If anything bad happens to you, I'll make sure that I'll be there for you to have a hand to pull you back up to safety."_

"Nagihiko?"

"Huh?" Tadase and Kairi were staring at him with concerned looks on their faces.

"You don't look so good. You don't have to go look for them if you want to."

Nagihiko smiled, touched that the two were willing to go in his place if he didn't feel well. "I'm fine," he told them, "I just…need some fresh air." He walked away, each of his footsteps feeling as heavy as lead. That feeling in his chest was coming back again. His long purple bangs covered his face as the last words he thought when he died echoed in his head.

"_I'm sorry…..I'm so sorry…."_

_

* * *

_

Amu scratched her head as she checked her surroundings. Everything looked the same to her. The trees. The ground. The branches overhead. Yep. She was definitely lost.

Akki was sniffing the ground, looking for a familiar scent that might lead them back home. Rima had her back against a tree trunk, her eyes clouded, distant. Amu wanted to ask what was wrong but she felt like she shouldn't bother her.

"Arf! Arf!" Akki was barking, wagging his tail furiously.

"Did you pick up something?" Amu hoped it wasn't another shrub that he found suitable to take a whiz on.

Not wasting any time, Akki ran forward in the direction he was barking at. Amu quickly followed after him. When he came to a stop, Amu saw Nagihiko high up on a tree, sitting on one of its branches. He looked down and noticed them below.

"Amu-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Did you come looking for us?"

For some reason, the question made him freeze up, "Well….That doesn't matter right now. How did you end up in the woods?"

"Akki was playing with one of the watermelons and some of them fell into a creek," she answered.

"Amu? Did you find a way-" Rima's sentence stopped short when she looked up at the tree and saw Nagihiko. For a while, she stood rooted to that place, her eyes wide open in shock. The expression on Nagihiko's face matched her's, startled to see her here as well. Amu looked between the two of them in confusion. What was this tension in the air?

Rima quickly recovered from her shock, her face scrunching up in a snarl as she turned her back to them swiftly. Was it Amu's imagination or did she just saw a hurt look on Nagihiko's face?

However, it passed by quickly and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "W-We should go back," he said after a long moment of silence. He started to make his way down the tree. Amu glanced at Rima. She hadn't moved from her spot at all.

She felt something nudge her hand. Akki motioned his head to Nagihiko and Rima. She blinked. What was he trying to say?

Without warning, Akki started barking very loudly, running around in circles. Amu brought her hands up to cover her ears.

"Akki! Stop it!" But the dog didn't listen to a word she said. He suddenly sprinted off towards the depths of the woods. "Akki, wait!" Amu called after him. Couldn't this dog ever sit still? She chased after him, seeing him take a path through two large trees. The branches above blocked the rays of sunlight attempting to shine down on the hard dirt path. Amu had to be careful to not trip over a large tree root. When he finally stopped, they reached the top of a small hill. Amu had to hold onto her knees for support as she tried to catch her breath. Where were they? She looked behind her and noticed that they had left Nagihiko and Rima behind. She looked back to Akki, who was panting with his tongue sticking out.

"….You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Arf!" he barked.

* * *

Rima placed her hand on a nearby tree trunk, panting for air. At times like this, she hated her athletic inability.

"They left us behind…."

Sure enough, there was no sight of Amu or Akki anywhere. Rima wondered how in the world could have they lost them? Realization dawned upon her when she remembered who the person was standing next to her.

A dark murderous look came over her face. She was going to kill that dog when he came back.

"So should we go?"

She looked up to see Nagihiko holding out a hand to her, waiting for her to respond. Pain struck the side of her head. An image of a boy dressed in a gray hoodie flashed through her mind. For a moment, she didn't see Nagihiko standing before her, except the boy, whom was smiling genuinely at her.

She shook her head furiously. It was official. She was going crazy.

He waved a hand before her face, "Rima-chan? You there?" He bent down at eye level with her, "You've been staring at me for a while now. Something wrong?"

"It's…nothing." She quickly made her way past him. The faster she got out of here the less she would get these annoying headaches.

"Um….Rima-chan?" Nagihiko jerked a thumb behind him, "The way out is that way."

Nagihiko watched with amusement as Rima walked a far distance ahead him. She was walking pretty fast, probably because she wanted to get away from this place as fast as possible. For some odd reason, the nervousness he felt before was gone. Now, it was replaced with a playful attitude and a temptation to tease the ticked off girl. It was strange. Before, he would often panic or freeze up in her presence. So why was he so ridiculously happy?

"Hey."

Rima was slowing down, making it easier for him to catch up with her. When he was finally walking along with her, side by side, she asked, "Do you know what's wrong with Kairi? What he said before he passed out….was weird."

"Oh." To be honest, he was trying not to think about it too much. Just thinking about the topic made his stomach churn with uneasiness even though he was a ghost. "I don't know."

She frowned, "What do you mean you don't know? You guys knew each other for a long time, right?"

He shook his head, "We only knew each other for a few months." He couldn't blame her for being surprised. It even made him wonder how they all became friends over a short period of time. He remembered thinking they were a little odd when he first met them but now he was pretty much used to it.

She seemed satisfied with the response, "….I see…." Then she suddenly asked, "What about you?"

He stiffened, "H-Huh? What about me?"

"You know. If you're the same as…" She trailed off, staring at him intensely.

"_Is she testing me?" _He could catch a glint of suspicion in her honey-colored eyes from his hesitance to respond. Now that he thought about it, what about his parents? What was his family like? Was he an orphan like Kairi? He sighed inwardly. Nope. He had no memory of what his family life was like. The only thing he could guess was…It wasn't too horrible, but at the same time, it wasn't too good either.

"It's personal." He figured that was the best response he could give. Oddly, it only served to increase her suspicion. However, she let out an 'hmph' and turned around, "Whatever."

Nagihiko wasn't sure what happened next. The only thing he could recall was Rima slipping, her mouth open in a scream as she started to fall downhill. Without wasting a second, he ran as fast as he could and sprung forward, grabbing hold of Rima's hand. He pulled her into an embrace as they took a freefall through the air. Nagihiko's eyes widened when he saw what they were headed for. It was a wide river with the water rushing downstream at a fast current.

That was when he noticed there was light coming from somewhere. He looked down at his arms and saw soft green light flickering every now and then from Rima's body. She was shivering with fear as her body continued to pulse with light. Revolving rings of occult glyphs started to appear around them. Nagihiko watched in bewilderment as the rings began to pile up on top of each other, forming a perfectly round sphere around them. It struck against the rushing water, breaking their fall. He sighed in relief. Thank god.

Just as he thought that, the barrier smashed into smithereens and the pair landed right in the water with a big splash. Much to Nagihiko's surprise, the water was actually shallow, only reaching up to his waist.

"Ugh…." Rima groaned, sitting upright. She was holding her head in pain, "What….What happened?"

"You fell and I went to save you," he told her. She looked terribly exhausted. He guessed it must have taken most of her energy to form that barrier. Rima then stared at him blankly, her expression reading surprise. She turned her head away, her shoulders shaking.

"….Pfft." Nagihiko got worried. Was there something wrong?

"Ha…..Hahaha!" Her hand was over her mouth, trying to stifle her sounds of laughter.

Nagihiko was getting freaked out, "What….What's so funny?"

"Look at your reflection."

"Huh?" Nagihiko glanced at his reflection in the river. His long locks of purple hair stuck out on every end and his suit was completely soaked. You could've sworn there was some stray leaf lost in his hair.

"You look like some swamp monster," Rima teased. She was smiling now, which was odd considering that she had an emotionless and cold expression on her face before. If Nagihiko didn't know any better, he would have never guessed this was Rima at all. It made him happy just seeing her smile for some reason.

"…_..Nagihiko!"_

A sharp pang of pain went through his head. Nagihiko nearly staggered forward. Again? Multiple memories flashed through his mind. Most of them were filled with images of a large house, a girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing a kimono, a basketball hoop, and the sounds of laughter.

* * *

He watched silently as the basketball bounce off the rim of the hoop. The sound of the basketball bouncing against the hard cement echoed across the court.

Damn it, he swore to himself. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

He went over to the basketball and started to dribble it with his right hand. He needed to get his rhythm back. He couldn't be distracted now. His hand slowly raised in the air, holding the basketball firmly.

"_The way he dances is wonderful."_

"_He's so graceful on stage. I'm almost jealous."_

"_I know, right?"_

"_It's such a shame that he's a boy."_

Nagihiko gritted his teeth. His hands fell limply to his sides as the basketball once again bounced against the hard cement. He sat on the bench beside the basketball court, silent.

"Nagihiko!" He turned towards the direction the voice was coming from, seeing a girl who was running towards him with a big smile on her face. Usually, he would be happy to see her but not today.

Her face fell when she noticed the look on his face, "Are you okay? You look out of it."

"I'm fine," he assured her, "Really."

She frowned, "Liar." Nagihiko was taken back. How could she tell?

"If you can tell when I lie, than I can tell when you lie too," she answered his unasked question. She took a seat right next to him, "So are you going to tell me?"

He fiddled with his thumbs, "It's….complicated." For a while, this shut her up, and she didn't say anything. Then she got up, staring straight ahead.

"Nagihiko. Look at me."

He glanced up and saw her stretching out her cheeks widely at him, "Funny face!"

Nagihiko shook his head, smiling, "Pfft."

"See? You laughed." The girl smiled brightly right back at him in return, "It's not good if you're sad. If you're sad, then I'm sad. If you're happy, then I'm happy." Nagihiko could tell that she meant every word she said. Her feelings were genuine, and he knew she would never back out of her word.

* * *

The memory soon faded from his mind. What was that? He couldn't remember the girl's face but he knew it must have been someone who was dear to him.

His hand instinctively reached to the side of his head when another pang of pain surged through him. Another one? The memory was brief this time, an image that he could only catch a small glimpse of before it quickly slipped out of his grasp.

It was of the same girl as before. However, she wasn't smiling like in the previous memory. Her face was expressionless. She wasn't sad. She wasn't happy. All of her happiness had vanished. The girl who loved to laugh and smile was gone.

"Nagihiko."

Rima was at shore, pointing towards a small dirt path making its way up the steep hill, "I found a way out. If you don't hurry up, I'll leave you behind."

"Huh? Oh right." Nagihiko got up and walked towards the shore. There was an indescribable weight on his chest. It was a sadness and frustration he couldn't comprehend. He remembered experiencing this feeling the second he woke up in the spirit world. His last regret.

* * *

"Rima! Nagihiko!" Amu cried out when she saw them. They managed to find their way through the forest back to the mansion's patio. The other ghosts ran up to Nagihiko, filling him in on what had happened.

"What took you so long? Hinamori got back here way before you guys did."

"Did you get the watermelons? Ojou-sama told us that she lost some."

Nagihiko put the sack of watermelons in Kairi's hands, "Here." The other ghosts looked at him in confusion. They could tell he wasn't in the mood to talk to them. He started to head for the mansion, walking right past them.

Tadase placed his hand on his shoulder, "Nagihiko." He looked down at his feet, "Are you…going to turn into a demon?"

"Of course not! Why would I…Why would I turn into a demon from something like that?" Even though he said that, Tadase didn't look convinced. Deciding not to talk about the subject anymore, he let his hand drop from his shoulder. Nagihiko stared after him with sympathy in his eyes, and continued to walk away.

When he was near the front of the mansion, something made him stop. There was someone standing behind the window to one of the mansions. It was a girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail. She had the same hair and eye color as his. Nagihiko blinked. He didn't remember any other girl being here.

Much to his surprise, when he blinked, her amber eyes blinked as well. Nagihiko stepped to the side. She followed his movements, stepping to the side as well. Fear shot through him. What…What was that thing?

Frightened but curious, Nagihiko drew closer to the window and placed his hand against the glass. The girl mirrored his movements, placing her hand in the same place his hand was.

"Who are you?" he asked out loud in a hoarse whisper. The girl frowned, scrunching her eyebrows together. For a long time, she didn't respond. Then she attempted to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. She tried again, pronouncing the syllables in her name as slowly as she could. Even so, no sound was heard. Fortunately, Nagihiko could tell what she was trying to say, but having the knowledge of the girl's name bothered him even more than the fact that this girl was acting like a reflection of one's self in a mirror.

"_Nadeshiko…I'm Nadeshiko…."_

_

* * *

_**A/N: **Remember that first prophecy I revealed in this story? Yep. Nadeshiko has a part in it. I can't exactly say how Nadeshiko will propel the plot forward or how she is related to Nagihiko since it's a spoiler. The only thing I'll say is: some of her actions are very...violent. She's not evil per say, just a little mentally deranged. You'll understand later.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: **Pretty short chapter this time. I have no clue when the whole Kairi thing will come to an end. Hopefully before this fanfic reaches chapter 50.

**Maddie: **I'm pretty sure it's spelled: "Yukari". "Yukairi" will confuse me since Kairi's name is in there.

**Just a correction: **But from the images I've seen, his eyes are blue. 0_o Unless it's a shade of teal or something.

* * *

Amu was running down the sidewalk, her pants coming out in visible puffs of air. The rain clouds continued to gather overhead, making her worry. If she didn't return home as soon as possible, she was going to get soaked.

She was approaching the site of a small playground. It was completely deserted. Not a single soul lurked on the grounds. Some buckets and shovels left by kids were still lying in the small sandbox. A slide stretched out from the interior of a small building designed like a rocket. The swings swung back and forth, their chains creaking ever so slightly. This was her shortcut to getting home.

Amu was about to walk past the slide until she heard some noise coming from the rocket.…Crying? Curious, she came closer to the slide, going up the steps leading to the inside of the rocket. She saw a small boy, his hands covering his face, wiping away at his cheeks. She could hear his sobs even though he attempted to muffle the noise with his arms.

She bent down at eye level with him, noticing that his shoulder-length green hair looked kind of familiar.

"You're…that kid at the entrance ceremony, right? The one who lost his inhaler and I helped to find?" she asked. The boy slowly lifted his head and nodded. He wore glasses over his eyes, which were now red from crying so much. She sat down beside him, "What's wrong?"

"My parents….are gone. Onee-chan said that they're dead," he said, "And…they're not coming back." His hands balled up into fists, "It's not fair! Papa promised that he would give me the family swords once he got out of the hospital! And throw a party with the whole family…" He slammed his fists down on the ground, "It's just not fair!"

"Hey…" He wiped away the last of his tears, looking at her. "How about we make a memorial for your parents?" she suggested. For a while, he stared at her blankly before nodding his head with hesitation.

"Okay…" They got up and started looking around the park for materials. Amu found a rock that looked perfect for a tombstone. The boy came to her with two long sticks in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Papa had two swords that he got from Grandpa," he explained, "He was going to give them to me…but he didn't get the chance to." He set the sticks down in a cross-like shape in front of the rock.

"What else does your Papa like?"

"He smoked once…but I don't think he and Mama will like it if we put it on their memorial."

"How about you just draw a picture of your family then? That'll be nice. Hold on. I think have some paper and pencils in my backpack." She set her backpack on the ground, looking to see if she had anything for him so he could draw. "Here it is!" She pulled out a sheet of paper and a pack of color pencils and presented it to him. He took it gratefully and sat down at the edge of the slide to draw. When he was finished, Amu saw four people drawn on the paper. One was a man with short black hair in glasses, wearing a blue robe with the sleeves pulled back. Next to him was a long-haired woman with a kind expression on her face. Another woman was in the picture as well, having long red hair and dressed in a business suit. Just like the other woman beside her, she wore glasses over her pale purple eyes. In the middle of them, was the boy himself, smiling brightly. After she was done looking, he placed the picture down before the rock, placing his hands over his heart.

"Papa…Mama…If you're up there, please...continue to watch over me. I don't think…I don't think I'm strong enough on my own. Even though I'm a demon hunter, it doesn't change the fact I'm still sick and frail. So…help me get the courage and strength to overcome my weakness."

Amu felt a small drop of water fall on the tip of her nose. She looked up, seeing a dozen of raindrops fall out of the heavy rainclouds overhead.

"It's raining! We have to move the memorial somewhere else, quick!" She quickly picked up the sticks and the boy's drawing while he picked up the rock and headed for a couple of trees in the park. They put their things down, reassembling the memorial back together. The leaves and the branches of the trees sheltered it from the rain. The boy sighed in relief.

"….Thank you."

Amu smiled at him, "You're welcome." She turned to face him, "Well, I'd better be going." She waved at him in farewell, "See you tomorrow!" For some reason, his cheeks flushed a bright vivid pink. Was he coming down with a fever?

"S-See you," he stammered before she started heading towards her house.

She would have never imagined how this particular event soon caused feelings to stir within the boy's heart.

* * *

Amu fiddled with the strap of the red plaid case. Her fingers lightly touched the spade, heart, and the clover sewn into the red fabric. Ami, who sat across from her, chomped into a giant slice of watermelon.

"Ah! Ikutonii-san, good morning!" Amu looked up to see Tadase greeting Ikuto, who looked like he just woke up.

"Good morning," he yawned. Amu noticed that his violet eyes kept wandering off, as if he was looking for something that could distract him.

"When you did get back home?" she asked him.

"When you were asleep," he replied, taking a seat next to her. He frowned when he saw the numerous slices of watermelon on one single plate, "What's with the watermelons?"

"Oh, you missed it. Utau and Kukai challenged each other to a contest of who can break open the most watermelons," Amu explained, "They ended up breaking a lot of watermelons."

"It was like: BOOM!" said Ami, "And then there was a: BANG! Stuff like that."

"So is that why Kukai is moping in the corner over there?" He pointed at the russet-haired teen, who was cradling his knees in fetal position, depression lines running down his face.

"He didn't lose. He won actually. Except…well…the person who won was supposed to eat all the watermelon and…Yeah...Kukai couldn't exactly do that. We had to give some of the watermelon to Rima, Utau, and Yaya. We still ended up with a lot of leftovers though."

"Oh." Ikuto shrugged, "Then that's not important then."

Kukai's hands grabbed his hair in frustration, "You guys don't get it! How you celebrate your victory is important too!"

Ikuto raised an eyebrow, "Says who?"

Kukai put his arm around him, his hand making a big motion, "Picture it this way. When you, say, score the last point for your team in a soccer game, and your team wins, do you just high-five each other and head home? No! Instead, you should be out there with your team members and maybe your coach too, celebrating over a big bowl of ramen and eating to your heart's content until you feel like throwing up! Now do you understand?"

Ikuto continued to stare blankly at the wall before him, "No. I don't."

Nagihiko rolled his eyes, "Just be happy that you won. You put up a good fight against her."

Kairi took off his glasses and wiped them with a small towel, "Yes. In fact, the competition was so intense that you got my glasses soaked with watermelon juice."

"How can I be satisfied with just that? It's already shameful that I can't eat or drink a thing. And now this!" He brought his head down upon the dining table, "Argh! I hate being a ghost."

Tadase approached Kukai, "By the way…Kukai."

"What?" he asked, streams of tears flowing down his face.

"Remember that bet we made? Well….I won…So you have to do me a favor."

Amu was confused, "What bet?"

"You see, while Nagihiko went to get you and Mashiro, we decided to make a bet on whether or not Nagihiko would survive," Kukai told Amu.

Nagihiko, who had been wiping a plate with a dishrag, tightened his grip on the plate, forming small cracks in the porcelain glass. He whirled around and grabbed Kukai by the collar. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?

Kukai tried to defend himself, "Hey. You got back okay, didn't you? So there's no need to get all worked up about it."

"It's not fun gambling about your friend's life!"

"So she didn't suspect anything?" Kairi asked.

Nagihiko instantly let go of Kukai and answered after a moment of silence, "No. At least…I don't think so."

Kukai brushed himself off, facing Tadase, "So what do you want me to do, Tadase?"

He thought for a moment, "Hm…." Then he came up with something, "You could…massage my shoulders?"

You could literally hear a crow caw in the distance.

* * *

A few minutes later, Kukai was massaging Tadase on the shoulders. Ikuto watched with a sweatdrop sliding down his forehead. Why did no one ever treat him like that?

He sighed and looked at Kairi, who was shaking his head at the idiocy displayed before him. He wondered whether or not he should tell him. His hand reached into his coat pocket, taking out a small slip of paper with numbers written on it.

* * *

Yukari stretched out lazily, blinking as she stared at the clock on the wall. The time was now 9:30.

"Oh dear. It's getting late. You better return home. It's not healthy returning home late."

Ikuto glanced at all of the empty bottles of wine she just chugged down. _"Says the person who drinks a lot of alcohol," _he thought.

She got up from her chair and put down a couple of dollars from her pocket in front of the bartender. He took the money, going back to wiping away at a wineglass. She started to head for the door. Ikuto tried to stop her.

"Hey-"

"What? Oh, don't worry. I'm not drunk. Three bottles of wine is nothing." She gave a reassuring wave with her hand, but that was before she crashed right into a wall. She shakily got back up to her feet. "I'm okay," she said, holding a finger up, "I'm okay." She then remembered something, "Oh yeah! Hey, you!" She was shouting to someone who was sitting with a glass of beer in his hand. "Give me a piece of paper!"

The person made a face, "Huh? Who do you think you're talking to, you bi-"

"Watch it! This guy next to me will beat the shit out of you if I hear another word out of your mouth!" Ikuto merely yawned in response. "Now hurry up and give me a piece of paper!"

Shaking his head, the person reached into his pocket and tossed the piece of paper to Yukari. When she still held out her open palm, he sighed and also took a pen out of his pocket. Pleased, she took the pen and started writing something on the paper. When she was finished, Ikuto saw it was a couple of numbers with dashes between them. She handed the piece of paper to him.

"This is my phone number," she said, "You are free to call me whenever you like. However, don't call me if you're expecting to get any of Utau's belongings or get one of her CDs for free. But…" She tilted her head, "You seem to be trustworthy person, so I'll doubt you'll do something like that."

He mentally snorted, _"Trustworthy? Yeah right."_ But he placed the piece of paper in his coat pocket, "Alright. You can count on me." He started to walk away until a question came to his mind that made him stop.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"About your brother…what would you do if I told you that you can go meet him right now?"

She laughed, "That's not possible right? He's good as dead."

"But what if?"

"Hm….Then tell him…that I'm sorry for being such a horrible older sister."

* * *

"You have to go?"

Tsukasa was talking with Amu, who was heading out the dining room.

She nodded, "Yeah. Yaya invited me to go shopping with her so I'm going." She went up the stairs, probably going to her bedroom to change out of her pajamas.

"Ah! Found it!" Ami rushed into the dining room, holding a small book in her arms. The spine was falling apart and the cover and a layer of the cover was slowly peeling off. She sat on a chair and flipped open the cover. Ikuto peeked over her shoulder. There were various photos glued onto each page. Some had Amu, some had Ami, some had her parents, and some had her grandparents.

When Ikuto saw a picture of her grandparents, his previous master and mistress, he felt his heart twinge a bit. The elderly couple smiled at the camera, with their aged hands intertwined with one of the Hinamori siblings' own. He would never forget the sight of the still bodies of the couple. He shivered at the memory. Why did their deaths shake him so much?

"What's that?"

The other ghosts gathered around for a closer look. Ami turned the book to them, showing a picture of her and her sister. Amu's mouth was upturned into a wide grin, embracing her little sister.

"Aw….How cute," commented Nagihiko.

Ikuto placed a hand under his chin, "Apparently, her chest didn't grew that much even when she was little."

"Nii-san!"

He shrugged, "I'm just saying." He noticed that Kairi was staring at the picture oddly. His eyes were fixed on something on her waist, a small red box with a plaid pattern. He suddenly reached out and turned the page. The next page had a photo of the entire family, except something was a bit different. Amu's face was slightly turned away from the camera, her face void of emotion and her golden eyes steel cold. This was far different from the spacey and stubborn impression Ikuto had of Amu.

"Eh? Hinamori-san….doesn't look too happy."

"Maybe she's photo shy?" Kukai guessed.

Nagihiko sweatdropped, "I doubt that's the reason."

"I think…she looks kind of lonely." Now that he thought about it, Ikuto had to agree with Kairi. She looked lonely, distant from her other family members. But that wasn't the only emotion on her face. There was a strong sense of guilt radiating from her face. An emotion that bothered him to no end.

"Really? I don't think so," said Ami. From the look on her face, Ikuto could tell that she was lying. Whatever the truth was, she wasn't going to tell them until way later. Or maybe, they'll end up figuring it out themselves.

* * *

Their mulling over the picture was stopped short when Amu entered the dining room. "What are you guys doing?" She stood in the doorway, dressed in a black hoodie over a pink dress.

Ami quickly slammed the photo album shut and hid it behind her back, "Nothing!"

Hearing this, Amu gave a light shrug. She waved goodbye to them as she headed out, "Well, see you guys later!"

Kukai placed his hands behind his head, "So what should we do now?"

"Go back to doing our own chores?" suggested Tadase.

He made a face, "But that's boring. Can't we do something else?"

"Kukai-sempai, can't you even sit still?"

While the other ghosts were talking amongst themselves, Nagihiko glanced back at the old photo album. The picture they just seen of Amu bothered him. Yet, he couldn't help but think he saw that expression on her face before.

"_Well, isn't that an interesting piece of information you found?"_

Nagihiko jumped and turned to the window. In place of his reflection, a girl with a ponytail materialized out of nowhere. Her expression was amused, the edges of her lips curved upwards into a suspicious smile.

"_Can you stop doing that?" _he complained, _"I'm not used to this telepathic link thing."_

"_Get used to it. Just pretend that I am your conscience." _When she saw him cast a wary glance in the other ghosts' direction, she added, _"Don't worry. Your friends won't be able to see me…..Yet." _

"_What are you?" _he asked, _"You're not a ghost. Or a demon. And why do I share a telepathic link with you?"_

Nadeshiko crossed her arms in thought, frowning, _"I don't remember…I just found myself like this."_

"_And you say that you have no memories?"_

"_It's not that I have no memories," _she told him, _"It's that every memory you have I have."_

Nagihiko was confused, _"What do you mean?"_

She smiled deviously, _"Why don't you see for yourself?" _All of the sudden, her amber eyes started to glow brightly. Nagihiko staggered back, his head aching from the flow of memories entering his head. There were memories of waking up in the darkness, facing a tall figure dressed in a cloak, memories of entering the Hinamori mansion, meeting an elderly couple, memories of going to the beach with Amu and the rest of the ghosts, memories of his uneasiness around Rima, and memories he recovered of his past about a girl whose sweet laughter continuously echoed inside his head. These were all of his memories. Even the actions of what his friends did or said was the same.

The flow of memories stopped and Nadeshiko's eyes went back to their dim amber color. Nagihiko held onto his knees for support, gasping for air. He never wanted to experience that ever again.

"_Oh! I just remembered something!" _Nadeshiko exclaimed, her eyes widening from realization. _"The Phantom Lord…That's right. The Phantom Lord sent me here."_

Nagihiko frowned, _"For what purpose?"_

"_He told me I had to keep an eye on you. Aside from that, I was free to do whatever I want."_

Nagihiko fell silent. He wasn't surprised that the Phantom Lord was behind all of this. But didn't that mean it wasn't a good thing? Something was up. He had to find out what the Phantom Lord planned to do to him. And there was one person he could get that information from. Raiden, the right hand man of the Phantom Lord.

* * *

**A/N: **The whole Nagihiko/Nadeshiko thing will probably won't be brought up until later in the story after the next chapter. I want to shift some focus away from Nagihiko back to Kairi or some of the other characters. Next chapter has a confrontation between Nagihiko and Raiden and Amu regaining a memory of her childhood back.


	45. Chapter 45

**Maya: **...In what way does this resemble Twilight? 0_o I have watched La Corda d'Oro. But I gave up on finishing it halfway. So...I can't really say that this fanfic has some inspiration from it, even though they both share the similar concept of the main character having a male "harem".

Tadase actually does have someone he connects to outside of Amu. The problem is that I never got around to hinting on it. The main reason why I avoid giving away too much on Tadase's past is that he's connected to several of the Paranormal Attendants. So it's hard to cover his past when it also intertwines with several of the other ghosts' without giving away too much.

Amu has a connection with _all _of the ghosts. Otherwise, what was the point of making her have five ghosts as her servants? :P

I actually was thinking about whether or not I wanted the Paranormal Attendants to attend Amu's school. (The ones that are of age any way.) But considering that means leaving Ikuto out and that something is going to happen to one of them very soon, I decided to not go with it.

* * *

Tsukasa played around with the teacup in his hands. He watched as the tea swirled around with the cup in movement. He looked up at the chessboard laid out before him. He decided that he would give a new layout to the chessboard but he couldn't decide what kind of layout he should do.

"Technically speaking, the enemies on the board are us and the Phantom Lord along with the ghosts and the humans. What do you think?" he asked Raiden, who was sitting across from him, his fingers tapping against the hard wood of the table in boredom.

He sat up, "I think that's a wrong assumption you have there, Tsukasa." He pushed all of the chess pieces off the board, "Think of it this way: this whole entire board is the town of Harima." He placed various pieces together in one group, "This is the exorcists and the demon hunters of Harima, in other words, the little priestess and Utan." He took a couple of other chess pieces and placed it across from them, "These are the ghosts, the Paranormal Attendants." Another group of chess pieces was placed between them, "And these are the human citizens of the town. Including Amu Hinamori."

"But where are us then?"

He took the last couple of chess pieces and placed them in a circle around the three groups, "We are the guys who pull the strings of everything in this town. Just moving one piece affects all three groups. Those ignorant people won't know what hit them."

"And so that's why the Phantom Lord sent me as a spy."

In the mirror leaning against the wall, Nadeshiko materialized within the surface of the glass. Raiden immediately got up to greet her.

"Nadeshiko! How are you?" He held out his hand for a handshake but she only stared at him blankly.

"You're the one who wipe out the memories of ghosts before they come to the spirit world, correct?" she asked.

"That's me." A blue light appeared in the palm of his hand, "The job's a pain though. Not that many ghosts enter the spirit world. Some get lost on the way, so I can't really erase all of their memories before they wake up." He started to play around with the light, "I do get one benefit from it though. Getting information that I can easily manipulate or use to my own will."

Nadeshiko's amber eyes narrowed into slits, "If I asked you if you could give me all of Nagihiko's memories, would you listen to me?"

The light vanished from his hand, "Nope. You share a telepathic bond with Nagihiko. If you recover his memories, he'll recover the memories as well. And trust me, the Phantom Lord….doesn't want that to happen just yet. Besides, even if you begged on your knees or kiss my shoes, I'll never hand them over to you. What's the fun in letting the two of you remember who you are so quickly?"

"…I see." She turned her back to them, "I'll be leaving then. But let me make one thing clear, even though we're both servants to the Phantom Lord, I'll never trust the two of you."

Raiden placed his hand over his heart, feigning a hurt look on his face, "Ouch! Such harsh words! What makes you think I have something up my sleeve?"

"Actually, I'd be surprised if you didn't."

He held up his hands in surrender, "Alright. You got me. But the one who's really pulling the strings here is the Phantom Lord. I'm just here to stir up some fun and watch the chaos that unfolds." The two of them stared at each other silently. Nadeshiko with a glare and Raiden with a mysterious smile playing on the edge of his lips.

Without another word, Nadeshiko disappeared, the mirror once again showing a reflection of the interior of the room.

Raiden went back to his seat, "Tch. So not cute."

"She has a point though," Tsukasa pointed out, "You do have something up your sleeve, don't you?"

Raiden took some chess pieces off of the board and started to juggle them in the air, "At the moment, not really. I'll have to wait and look for a chance to interfere safely without any consequences." He then smirked, "Besides…no matter what I do the Phantom Lord won't argue against my actions."

* * *

"Hey, Amu-chi!"

Yaya waved to her the second she saw her walking up the street. Her caramel twintails bounced in the air as she ran up to Amu.

"Hi, Yaya," she greeted her back. She laughed when Yaya accidentally let out a loud belch.

"Sorry," Yaya apologized, covering her mouth out of embarrassment, "I think I ate too much watermelon."

"We all ate too much watermelon." Amu's stomach still ached from the amount of watermelon she just ate. It was such a shame that the ghosts couldn't eat a single thing.

"Man, Yaya's really surprised," Yaya said as they were heading for Harima's shopping district, "How can you live with four boys who are your servants?"

"Believe me. I ask myself the same question," Amu replied with a sweatdrop. _"Not to mention, they are ghosts," _her thoughts added.

"Eh? Isn't that Utau-tan?" Up ahead, they saw Utau before a mailbox, looking at a letter in her hand. She sighed and put the letter back in its envelope. She turned around and stopped, seeing them approaching.

"You guys? What are you doing here?"

"Going shopping. Do you want to come? It'll be a lot of fun if you tag along!"

Utau shook her head, "Sorry. I have stuff to do."

"It's okay! We don't want to take up any of your time!"

Amu pointed to the envelope in her hand, "What is that by the way?"

"Another fanmail. Apparently, some fans still haven't given up on the hope of me coming back to the pop industry one day."

Amu could sympathize. It must be tough finally able to live a life as a normal person yet still have to deal with issues such as fans and the paparazzi.

"We were just talking about the guys we met at Amu-chi's house. Yaya thinks they're all cute. What do you think, Utau-tan?"

"Hm….I find them suspicious but they don't seem bad. Kairi's a bit uptight. I don't think I talked to him that much. Tadase's nice. A bit too nice. Kukai's cheerful and friendly. I'm surprised he managed to win against me in both the badminton match and the watermelon tournament. And Nagihiko….he's been bothering me lately. Have you noticed how weird he was acting after you guys got back from the forest?"

Yaya agreed, "Yeah…" Suddenly, an idea occurred to her, "You don't think…."

"No. No. Do not go there," Amu warned her. She did not want to think about the complications since Nagihiko was technically a walking human corpse. Even though she herself kept forgetting that the ghosts weren't human currently at this point.

"But-"

"_No_."

"Huh? A love letter?" Utau was looking at a bright pink envelope sealed with a bright red heart she got from her mailbox. She cautiously took the seal off, reading the letter from it inside. Disgust crossed her face and she wasted no time crumpling the letter up into a ball and tossing it at the floor.

"What was that?" Amu asked.

"Read it yourself." The pinkette went over to pick up the letter and read the contents. The letter started out like any normal declaration of love but slowly descended to what could be considered the depths of insanity. She gagged and quickly dropped it. Whoever said that love was forever pure was terribly wrong.

"Oh…" Yaya had peeked over her shoulder and made a face at what she read. She tried to cheer Utau up, "Look at the bright side! At least you're loved by so many people."

"Loved by some crazy people," she said, "I don't usually get these kinds of confessions. Sometimes, but not always. My manager always goes through my mail and-" Utau stopped mid-sentence, her bangs covering her face. Amu frowned. Did something happen between her and her manager?

"What it is like to receive a lot of confessions a day?" Yaya wondered out loud, "Rima-tan gets a lot and she says it's annoying."

"It is. Either way, I can't date any of them since it's taboo."

"Actually, Yaya heard that Rima-tan can't either." They turned to look at her, "There were some rumors going around. Something about that if a guy seriously falls in love with her, he'll be cursed."

"What? Seriously?" It pissed Amu off. Were people still antagonizing her because of her popularity or were people still distant from her because of her relation to the so-called protector of Harima?

This got Utau interested, "And what did the rumors said that will happen to the boy?"

She shrugged, "The curse varies from person to person. I heard that he dies a horrible death, or is cursed to wander the human world as a depressed ghost, or is driven to insanity, or becomes a hideous monster. Stuff like that."

Both Amu and Utau stared at her for a long time, the color drained from their faces. Something was wrong about those rumors. There were all…too precise. Amu suddenly thought of Rima's friend. From Rima's attitude whenever he was brought up in a conversation, he was already dead. Maybe the reason he died was because of….?

"Someone knows," Utau muttered. Her brow creased into a frown, "But that doesn't make sense. No one in school should've known about this since their relationship was kept secret from anyone in their elementary school."

"Hm…." Maybe Rima had accidentally told someone. But why would that person make up those rumors about Rima? Amu thought back to the previous topic of their conversation. She had her share of fanboys but none of them ever went up to confess to her like Rima's did. They just admired her from a distance. The image of a boy standing before her flashed through her mind. He was shuffling his feet back and forth, looking nervous. His face was bright red and he was struggling to say something.

"_I-I…."_

The memory faded away, before Amu could hear the rest of his sentence. Her eyes widened in recognition. That voice sounded way too familiar. Was that…?

* * *

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoed in the halls of the Hinamori mansion. Kairi looked at the other ghosts in confusion. They had more visitors?

"Maybe it's Hinamori-san's friends again," Tadase whispered. Hearing this, the other ghosts ducked behind a door, leaving Kairi all by himself. Sighing, he went over to the front door to open it. He had a feeling this was going to become quite common.

Much to his surprise, he found three boys standing at the doorway when he opened the door. The boy in the middle, with shoulder-length brown hair, held a basketball under his arm.

"Sorry to bother you," he said, "But is Nagi here? We heard this is where he's living."

"Do you mean Nagihiko-sempai?" How did these boys knew Nagihiko?

"You guys!" Nagihiko walked up to them, his amber eyes sparkling with delight.

The boys recognized him immediately, breaking out into wide grins, "Nagi!" The four of them exchanged high-fives, pats on the back, and fist bumps. They were all acting like long-lost friends reuniting with each other. Kairi blinked. He really had no idea what was going on.

"Are they friends of Nagihiko?" asked Tadase.

"Seems like it," said Ikuto, "I don't know how he got to know all of them though."

Kukai placed a hand under his chin, "For some reason I feel jealous…."

Kairi, Tadase, and Ikuto stared at him for a long time, their facial expressions reading revulsion.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kukai said quickly, "It just feels weird knowing that Nagihiko has other friends that are human."

"Sorry about all of this. I met these guys during the school festival." Nagihiko introduced each of them one by one, "This is Chikao, Haruto, and Gorou. They're a group of dancers called: 'Urban Street'."

"Though we don't exactly have a lot of good moves," Gorou admitted, "We mostly play basketball in our spare time."

"Really?" Kukai went forward with his hand extended out, "I'm Kukai. If you don't mind, can I play basketball against you guys some time?"

"I'm warning you. As silly as he is, he's actually pretty tough."

"Who's silly? Anyway, can I?"

"Sure! If you want, you can bring the other guys with you. I think we have an even number of people."

Nagihiko was curious, "How did you know I was here? Did you ask Amu-chan?"

"No. Mashiro-san told us that you would be here." The second Gorou uttered the name of the exorcist from his lips the smile on Nagihiko's face dropped.

"H-Huh?" He stuttered. It was quite uncommon to see the normally calm and collected Nagihiko all nervous and startled at the same time. It amused Kairi to no end.

"She didn't really give us an answer about why you're a servant to the Hinamori family though," Gorou continued to say.

"It's…a long story."

"She did tell us to thank you for helping her out yesterday."

"Eh?" Nagihiko was taken back by those words, "She...said that?"

"Yep. Don't know what happened, but she seemed grateful for whatever you have done."

As the other ghosts went about introducing themselves, Kairi noticed that Nagihiko stayed away from the rest of the group, lost in his own thoughts. Even though there was a lot of noise, Kairi could make out the words he muttered silently to himself.

"No….I didn't really did that much…That's right…..I've done nothing."

* * *

The sound of a basketball bouncing off the hard concrete floor echoed across the court. Kairi watched as the basketball fell through the hoop with a loud swish.

Haruto fell on the ground with a sigh, "Damn it. We lost. You're better than you look, Nagi."

The long-haired boy shrugged lightly, "What can I say? I love basketball."

They turned their heads at the sound of giggles coming from the end of the basketball court. It was coming from a group of girls walking along the metal fence that formed a barrier between the basketball court and the sidewalk. Haruto suddenly jumped to his feet, eagerly heading for their direction.

"What is he doing?" asked Kairi.

Chikao brought his hand to his face, "Just watch. He's going to totally mess up."

"Hey, ladies," he greeted the girls, "Did you watch the basketball match we had? I totally kicked everyone's asses out there!"

"_But you weren't the one who won…."_

One of the girls frowned, "Who are you?"

"Why should I give you my name?" asked Haruto, completely ignoring the question, "We are both tied by destiny, the red string of fate. Soon enough you'll learn my name and then you can't help hearing it echo in your head every night as you go to bed, staring up at the ceiling, muttering the name of the boy who swept you off of your feet on that fateful day…"

His blabbering was cut short when Nagihiko placed his hand on his shoulder, "Please stop. It gives me an earache hearing you flirt."

The girls' indifferent expressions changed when they saw the boy with long locks of violet hair behind Haruto. Some of them flushed a bright red and one of them even timidly went up to him.

"E-Excuse me! What's your name?"

"Huh? Nagihiko." This caused them to erupt into giggles and squeals. He looked confused on why he was suddenly being greeted by a couple of girls.

* * *

A couple of minutes later the girls finally walked away, still chatting to each other excitedly about what happened. Nagihiko watched them go with a puzzled frown on his face.

Haruto placed an arm around his shoulders, "Don't worry about it. Having a lot of girls who adore you is a problem, isn't it? You have so many choices yet you don't want to break any of their hearts if you decide to single out one girl. Ah! The pain of being showered with love by so many people!"

Nagihiko sweatdropped, "That's not what I'm worried about." He remembered something, "Oh yeah! How did the party go after I left?"

"Haruto was looking for girls who would be willing to date with him, as usual. Gorou found the DJ stuck in the bathroom because there was no more toilet paper. And I ended up having to do the performance alone." Chikao sighed, "Honestly. What's the point of being a group if we're not going to perform as one?"

"Hey! I had a line of girls waiting for my reply to their endearing confessions!" Haruto protested.

"More like: _you _are waiting for a reply for your confessions from a line of girls," Chikao shot back.

"You don't know how hard it is to just confess to a single girl!" Haruto pointed to Kairi, Kukai, Nagihiko, Tadase, and Ikuto, who were watching from the sidelines, "You guys know what I'm talking about right? The long-awaited agony of getting a reply or the frustration of not being able to get those words out of your mouth….I'm sure one of you have confessed to a girl once in your life…right?"

There was a mixture of reactions the ghosts had in response to that question. Ikuto stared at him coolly, Kukai scratched his head in confusion, Nagihiko looked visibly startled, Tadase's polite smile froze in place, and Kairi blushed furiously.

Haruto sweatdropped, "…Is that a 'no'?"

"Yes," Ikuto and Kukai stated bluntly.

Kairi looked down at his feet shamefully, "Actually….I think I did."

"Eh?" The rest of the Paranormal Attendants and the three basketball boys exclaimed in disbelief at the same time.

"What's with that reaction?" Maybe it had to do with the shame of a fourteen-year old boy confessing before any of them got to.

"So how did it turn out? Did she reject you?"

"Well…."

* * *

Kairi poked his head out of a small bush. She was sitting with her back against the wall. He saw the small red plaid case attached to her waist. It made his heart soar. She must've liked the birthday present he gave her.

Then he remembered why he came here today. He failed before when he tried to deliver the letter only to realize later he forgot to put his name on it and that it was accidentally delivered to the wrong person.

He wiped his sweaty palms against the legs of his pants. He was quite nervous. He never confessed to a girl before or even imagined himself falling for one. He started to wish that his parents were here so he could confine in them about this matter. His sister always went out the front door in a rush with a hasty "goodbye" so he couldn't tell her about this.

Kairi shook his head furiously. No. He promised himself that he would hold his head high and be strong on his own. There was no turning back now.

Summoning up all of his courage at last, he stepped out of the bushes and walked in the girl's direction. She looked up at the sound of his footsteps and smiled at him in greeting.

"Good morning, Kairi!"

"G-Good morning." He really wished that she stopped greeting him with such a happy look on her face. It just made her look prettier.

"Thanks for the present!" she continued to say, "I really like it!"

"R-Really? That's good…." Frustration was starting to bubble up inside him. He had to hurry up and say it. This could be his only chance.

"Sempai! I have something to tell you!" Kairi blurted out.

"What is it?"

"Umm…..I-I…."

She tilted her head to the side, "Hm?"

"I-I…I….."

"…"

"I…I want to be your bodyguard!"

She blinked, "Huh?"

He attempted to explain himself, "I-I come from a family of demon hunters. When Papa died, I had no one else to pass on his teachings. But…I decided that I'm going to trust my own skills and get stronger on my own. So….if you don't mind….can I be your bodyguard?"

"…Okay!" She smiled at him, "I'm looking forward to you taking care of me, Kairi."

He nodded, smiling back. But then realization hit him when he remembered that his original intention was to confess his feelings to her.

* * *

A dozen of bricks rained down hard on Kairi's head. Depression lines ran down his forehead as he slowly went into a fetal position.

"...I'm guessing it didn't turn out that well, huh?"

"…No. It's just that I wanted to say it, but in the end, I couldn't." He got up and went over to the metal fence by the sidewalk. "I am going to commit seppuku. Please give Ojou-sama my regards before I leave this world."

"Don't kill yourself!" they cried out in fear, even though the ghosts knew that there was no way Kairi could've killed himself anyway because he was a ghost. As they went over to restrain him, Nagihiko noticed the swish of someone's coat as the person swiftly walked away from the area. The small tears on the red felt of the coat looked strikingly familiar to him…

"_It's Raiden," _whispered Nadeshiko, who was probably hiding somewhere nearby. _"Aren't you going to chase after him?" _she asked almost tauntingly.

Gritting his teeth, Nagihiko ran over to the side of the fence, smoothly grabbing the top metal bar and jumping over it. Not wasting a single moment of hesitation, he caught up with the man dressed in a long coat, roughly grabbing him by the collar. Raiden's eyes were wide with surprise but he recovered with a friendly smile.

"Hello, Nagi," he said, holding up his hand in greeting, "Fancy meeting you here by the basketball court."

"I want answers."

Raiden ignored him, "Such lovely weather today, isn't it? Much better than the depressing atmosphere of the spirit world."

"Don't try to change the topic!" Nagihiko snarled, tightening his grip on the collar of Raiden's coat.

Raiden tried to feign innocence, "Now don't look at me like that, Nagi. That's not very nice. Frowning can cause wrinkles you know. And what are you talking about? At least let me know what you're talking about before you jump into conclusions."

"You know very well what I am talking about." He dropped Raiden to the floor. "What did the Phantom Lord made me into?" He asked, pointing at himself, "I have this….this girl's conscience following me wherever I go. Just exactly what is he planning to do with me?"

Raiden got up and brushed off some imaginary dust on the seat of his pants, "Don't act as if Nadeshiko is the most disgusting thing alive. Believe me. It could have been worse."

"_I don't remember asking you to defend me," _Nadeshiko retorted. Nagihiko could sense a wave of rage coming from her at Raiden's words.

"Truthfully, I'm not entirely certain of the Phantom Lord's motivations behind forging a telepathic link between you and Nadeshiko," he admitted, "I'll never understand what goes through his mind. One thing I can say is that if his plan is carried out successfully, you won't be known as Nagihiko the Ghost anymore."

"I already am immortal and have some power. What else does he want me to become? A werewolf?" Nagihiko joked.

"One more thing," he added, "Even though you share a telepathic link with Nadeshiko, don't even think that means you have any control over her. She has her own will. She is free to do whatever she wants even if you protest against it."

"….Alright. Anything else you want to tell me?"

Raiden's lips curved into an eerie smirk. Nagihiko could've sworn that the temperature dropped several degrees. For a moment, he regretted asking that question.

He leaned over and whispered into his ear, "If you want to blame anyone, don't blame me, or the Phantom Lord. We're not responsible for Nadeshiko's creation. Someone else is."

Nagihiko gulped nervously, "Someone else….is?" Who else could have possibly created Nadeshiko? It didn't help that Nadeshiko didn't remember what she was. Maybe someone who held a grudge against him?

Raiden was about to say more until he froze, staring at something past Nagihiko shoulder. He straightened up and said cheerfully, "But looks like your little girlfriend's here so I won't tell you anymore about it! Have fun!" He waved goodbye as he skipped away.

"Get back here, Raiden!" A strange light that Nagihiko was all too familiar with whizzed past him, heading straight for the mysterious man. But Raiden broke into a sprint, moving too fast for the light to target him accurately. "Damn it," the source of the voice swore. The voice, even though it sounded quite angelic and cutesy, there was a cold and emotionless edge to it. He heard this voice before.

Turning around, he saw Rima standing behind him, whose honey-colored eyes shifted their attention from Raiden onto him, filled with surprise to see him there.

"Nagihiko? What are you doing here?"

"Playing basketball," he replied. His previous thoughts of uneasiness about what Raiden told him were erased by a strong emotion of peace that seized his heart.

Oddly, she stared at him blankly when she heard his answer, but then shook her head. "I meant what you were talking about with Raiden," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh! I-"He was cut off when pain surged through his head. Nadeshiko, who had been keeping a silent presence in his mind, was suddenly ecstatic, her thoughts swarming around his head, all in a disarray. Despite the link they shared, the thoughts all sounded like incoherent blabbering that he couldn't decipher what she was thinking. All he knew that whenever he looked at Rima, Nadeshiko's conscience would struggle violently, as if she was trying to escape the confines of Nagihiko's mind and flee to the outside world.

"….Are you okay?" Thankfully, Rima's voice drowned out the sounds of Nadeshiko's scattering thoughts, giving him a moment to recover his composure.

"I'm…I'm okay," he reassured her. He didn't think that she would understand if he told her about his situation. Even if she was an exorcist.

She wasn't paying attention to him. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared into his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"…Look at your reflection."

She took her cellphone out of her pocket and held it up to his face. In the smooth surface of the screen of her cellphone, he saw that his eyes were not the normal healthy shade of amber they used to be. They were bright crimson red, filled with conflicting rage and a crazy bloodthirst.

A few seconds later the bright red color faded from his eyes, replaced with their normal color of amber. Shivers went up and down his spine. What did the Phantom Lord want him to become?

* * *

"What you want to be when you grow up?"

Amu gave a thoughtful frown as she thought about the question, "Well my teacher said that maybe your parents might be some inspiration….But I don't think that's really useful. My mom's a magazine columnist and my dad's a wildlife photographer. Those aren't really jobs I want."

"Hm…..I can see that line of thinking," said Kairi, "My mom has an office job. I guess that's why Onee-chan wants a job in business. My dad's a taxi driver. But he always talked about how he wanted to join the police force. He wanted to protect the innocent and the weak. I really admire him for that."

"Then maybe that can help give you an idea of what you want to be," she suggested.

"I don't know about that…." Kairi had only thought of being a great demon hunter like his dad. And now he swore to be Amu's bodyguard and protect her from demons. Was there anything else he wanted?

He remembered his father sitting on the hospital bed. His doctor always assured him that he'll just be fine after his daily checkup, and always gave him an update of how he was doing. Kairi's mother told him once that there were other people like his dad, sick from smoking too much.

* * *

"….You want to be a doctor?"

He nodded his head firmly, "Yes. I want to help people like me who have asthma and people like my dad get better."

"But that's going to be a lot of work, you know. It takes many years of studying in order to become a full-fledged doctor."

Kairi was unfazed, "I know! I'll work hard! I'll become a doctor someday! You'll see!"

"_Someday….I'll become a doctor…And that way, I can save people like you, Papa! I don't want anyone…to go through what I had to deal with…."_

* * *

**A/N: **I got a question a while back considering what the chessboard was about. To put it simply, the chessboard is a symbolic layout of the town Harima. The pieces on the board are the people living in the town. Humans and the paranormal alike. Before, Tsukasa viewed the game board as a battle between the Phantom Lord's side and the ghosts and the humans. However, Raiden brings up a new theory that it's really a three-sided struggle between the ghosts, the humans, the exorcists/demon hunters, with the servants and the Phantom Lord himself watching the spectacle while intervening if they wish to do so. Hopefully that made sense to some people.

As for the rumor thing about Rima...It was definitely not Raiden. Despite his manipulative personality. I can only tell you that much.

And Kairi wanted to be a doctor because of what happened to his dad. Aw...Too bad that his dream of becoming a doctor never came true, because otherwise, he wouldn't have became a ghost in the first place. :(


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: **This is just a little note to everyone that there will be no updates next week since I have to take Regents this year. Updating Paranormal Attendants is not my big concern as I'm trying to focus more on my studies so I can pass. Also, I'm working on drafts for future fanfics so that's keeping me busy as well. Not to mention, I'm not sure if any of you noticed, my writing has not been its best lately if you read the latest chapters of Paranormal Attendants. I think it's because of my own impatience to finally reach the climax of the story and I've been trying to distract myself so my writing doesn't become something that is totally incomprehensible for you guys to read.

* * *

"Everyone! There's trouble!"

Tadase was frantic as he ran up to the other ghosts. He was a little out of breath, his eyes wide with desperation.

Kukai grabbed him by the shoulders, "Calm down, Tadase. What happened?"

He shivered violently, "The master and mistress is…The master and mistress is…."

Kairi glanced at the other ghosts fearfully and quickly headed for the stairs. He had a good idea of what Tadase was so scared about. He went down a long dark hallway that extended to the back of the mansion. This was the passageway to the bedroom that where his master and his mistress spent the night after a long tiring day.

Stone gargoyles glared at him as he went past. His feet pounded hard against the dusty rug that covered the floor. The sight of a broken window stopped him. There was a hole large enough for a person to fit through on the window. Torn shreds of the curtain covered the floor along with shards of glass. Apparently, none of the ghosts finished cleaning up the mess that happened last night.

Carefully making his way around the broken glass, he opened the door to his master's and mistress' room. It was a small bedroom with only two beds, a bookcase, a dresser, and wide window that opened up to the world outside. Kairi would have found the atmosphere lovely and peaceful was he not fraught with panic and concern for the two figures that lay in their respective beds.

The two figures, an old man and woman, were quite still, their breaths unsteady. Kairi went over to one of the beds where the old man was lying on top of. His face was wrinkled with age and cold sweat dripped down his face. Kairi reached for the man's wrist, feeling for a pulse. He paled. He could sense a faint heartbeat, the timing between beats growing longer as the seconds ticked by.

The door swung open loudly, "Kairi!" The ghosts gathered around the beds, "How are they? Are they going to be okay?"

He shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered. He looked around frantically, desperately trying to think of some solution. His eyes widened in realization when he looked at Nagihiko, an idea forming in his head.

"I need your help, Nagihiko-sempai."

The purple-haired boy stepped forward at the sound of his name, "What do I have to do?"

"Try to give him an electric shock so his heart can start working again," he instructed him. Nagihiko placed his palms on the man's chest. "A small one though," he warned, "You don't want to make his heartbeat higher than it should be."

Nodding his head, small blue sparks flew from Nagihiko's hands, the impulse causing the man to flinch. But his eyes did not flutter open.

Kairi bit his lip, "Again." Nagihiko tried once more. Kairi turned to the others, "Try to help the mistress too. If Nagihiko's successful, he'll see to her." The other ghosts obeyed his orders, going to the old woman's side. Kairi shifted his attention back to the man. "Any response?"

Nagihiko shook his head sadly. "Try….Try again." He refused to have things end this way. Yet, he could sense the presence of death in this room. It lurked in the corners and shadows, giggling madly as it closed in on the two lifeless humans.

Then, for a short moment, his master's eyes fluttered open, staring blankly at them. A spark of hope ignited Kairi's spirit. They did it! He was going to live!

But then he smiled weakly at them, the life slipping from his eyes. His eyes slid shut; succumbing to a world of darkness he would never wake up from.

Kairi fell to his knees, shaking, "No….It can't be…." He looked up at the sound of Kukai approaching him. "Is she….?"

Kukai shook his head, "She's gone. We've tried everything. Believe me." Nagihiko got into a sitting position, his bangs covering his face. Tadase had his head buried into his arms, sniffling.

"Not again…." He muttered, "Not again…." Ikuto went over to the other side of the room, silent. Suddenly, he grabbed a vase off the dresser and threw it down on the floor. It shattered into a million of pieces, shards of glass flying everywhere.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he shouted angrily as he stamped his feet hard against the glass.

As beings of the dead, they were used to the feeling that life was being sucked out of the room, the absence of the sounds of someone breathing or someone's heartbeat. They were already dead after all. But even though they may have experienced having someone close to them die, it was the first time for any of the Paranormal Attendants to just watch helplessly as someone went to a world that was beyond their reach.

* * *

Kairi placed an icebag on top of Nagihiko's forehead, who was lying down on the couch reading a book.

Nagihiko's hand reached for the icebag, "I don't see why this is necessary."

"Have you forgotten that you almost collapsed this morning? Are you sure you don't know what happened to you?"

"You know that I immediately went unconscious after what happened at the school festival. There's no way I could've known."

"True," Kairi agreed. He noticed the photo that they found on the day that Amu's friends came over to visit. It was still in the same place, on top of the wooden cabinet. The entire Hinamori family smiling brightly at him. He remembered the day that his previous master and mistress died. That day would forever haunt him in his sleep, waking him up in the middle of the night, panting heavily. He could never forget the guilt that weighed his heart. If only he knew more, he could've saved those two from their deaths.

"Thinking about them?"

Nagihiko was staring at him, smiling softly.

"Y-Yeah…."

"Don't worry about it. There was nothing we could have done. Everyone dies eventually."

Kairi twitched. Even though he knew that was a true fact, the way Nagihiko worded it couldn't help but bother him a little.

"But isn't that….Isn't that unfair?"

"Life is always unfair."

Those words did not come from Nagihiko's mouth. Instead, it came from another person who just entered the room. The person went over to one of the windows and sprayed it with a cleanser. His hand went up to the spot to wipe the glass pane with a towel.

Tadase, whose demeanor was usually polite and gentle, would always change at the topic of Amu's grandparents. It was a topic that he tried to avoid talking about at all costs. Kairi could sympathize. Even though he blamed himself for their deaths, it was better than blaming what had caused them to die in the first place.

Maybe Tadase had a point. Life was always unfair. At least….that's how he remembered it.

* * *

Amu stood silently near the doorway that lead to the living room. She overheard the entire conversation. She was planning on going up to Kairi and ask him if she knew him somewhere before. But with the atmosphere so intense she was afraid to go in there. Afraid to poke her head into business she might not want to know.

She stared down at the small plaid box around her waist. She wondered why it was so hard for her to recover her memories. Rima still had some memories of her friend. As for the ghosts, well….she never really asked them about that. So why wasn't she given that liberty?

An idea suddenly occurred to her. What if the reason why she couldn't remember was because, unlike Rima, she did not hold her relationships with people as dearly as she did? Or maybe it was simple as her not being a very good friend?

"_Maybe that's true…." _She thought grimly. A memory of a boy lying still in a pool of blood flashed through her mind. She shivered instinctively. It was a scar she would never recover from. A scar that left a permanent wound on her mind.

RING RING! Her cellphone vibrated loudly in her pocket. Taking it out, she lifted the earpiece to her ear, "Hello?"

"_Is this Amu Hinamori?"_

"Yes….Who is this?"

She could sense the smile in the speaker's words as he spoke, _"My name does not matter. Meet me at the park by the stop sign." _The phone line went silent, the person hanging up.

"_What was that?" _The voice didn't sound like it belonged to anyone she knew. But then how did that person knew her name and phone number? She shook her head. It was probably best to ignore it and pretend as if it never happened.

Just as she was about to hang up, the voice once again spoke on the other end of the phone line.

"_By the way, don't even think about not planning to go there. Because I have something you might like. You have large gaps in your memory and you want to recover them, right? Well I have a way to make you recover those memories. Now, are you still sure about not going?"_

This time, the phone line went dead for sure. The beeps still rang loudly in Amu's ear when she hung up.

A chance to recover her memories….?

* * *

The phone rang loudly in the dining room of the Hinamori mansion. Ikuto, who had been sitting in a chair nearby, sat up when he heard the phone ring. Looking around and seeing that no one else was around to pick it up, he got up with a sigh and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Ikuto? Is that you?"_

Ikuto frowned. The voice sounded strangely familiar. He struggled to remember where he heard it from.

_"Hello? Are you still there?"_

A lightbulb went off as he finally caught grasp of who it was, "Are you that drunken lady I met at the music fair?"

"…_..I feel offended but I can't really argue against making that impression to you."_

"So? Why are you calling me?" He remembered that she had given him her phone number, not the other way around.

"_I have some news for you. Can you guess what?"_

"Uh...No?"

_"How boring. The news is that I'm in Harima right now."_

He choked, "W-What?" Was he hearing her right?

"_Yep. I thought I'd drop by Harima for a little vacation. Come to think of it, you live around here don't you? Mind telling me where the nearest bar is? I need a drink. A long car ride can make you terribly thirsty, ya know."_

"Where are you now?"

"_At the bridge in the Harima shopping district. Why?"_

Ikuto placed the phone back in its cradle and went out of the room. He saw Kairi in the living room, vacuuming the rug. He wondered how long was he going to keep this up. Kairi had the right to know everything about his past but at the same time, he was afraid of the consequences of him recovering his memories. But, as a fellow ghost, he felt that it was unfair keeping it a secret from him.

He shook his head furiously. It hurt his head thinking about all of these conflicting emotions inside him. Right now, he should focus on making sure the two didn't meet up with each other.

"Going somewhere?"

Ikuto looked up and saw Tsukasa carrying a teapot in his hands.

"Yeah. For a walk."

"Not to meet that woman we met at the music fair?" asked Tsukasa. The innocent smile on his face seemed to be threatening as he spoke those words out loud.

"….So you were the one who gave her our house number."

He held out his hands in surrender, "You got me. Do you want me to take you there? It'll be faster if you went by car."

"No thanks. I can go by myself."

Tsukasa pouted, "Why? Don't tell me it's because you still blame me for the incident that happened a long time ago."

"According to Tadase, you were there when they fell ill. You could've at least called the hospital when you had the chance." Ikuto's voice slowly grew in volume as he spoke.

"Even if I did, it would've been too late to save them. There's no point in venting your frustration out on me." The two stared at each other for a long time, the air around them charged with tension.

"Whatever." He turned around and headed for the front door. But before the door was even an inch open, he asked, "Now that I think about it, you're one of the Phantom Lord's servants, right?"

Tsukasa shrugged, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

"Though I'm suspicious of you, I won't call you out just because you're allied with the Phantom Lord. However…." A shadow-like cat paw emerged from his hand which went under Tsukasa's chin, "….If something happens to Amu and you're behind it, I won't hesitate in ripping you to shreds."

* * *

The swings creaked slightly as it swung back and forth. A gust of wind picked up, leaves scattering in its midst. A small sparrow flew under a red stop sign, pecking at the ground for food. It looked up at the sound of footsteps and flew away. The footsteps came closer and closer as the person leaned against the pole of the stop sign.

Amu sighed. She looked at the time in her cellphone. It was 1:30. The person on the other end of the phone didn't say what time she should come. Maybe she was too early?

"Good afternoon, Hinamori-san~!" someone shouted to her loudly. Amu jumped and turned around to see who was calling her. A man dressed in a long tattered red coat was waving from a fire hydrant across the street.

"Raiden?"

"That's my name." He crossed the street and only stopped until he was fully facing her.

"So you were the one who called me?"

Raiden put his hands behind his head, "Yes. But if you want to know how, the only thing I can tell you is that a little bird told me."

"Little bird?"

Raiden took out a deck of cards from his pocket and started to play around with them, "You have empty gaps in your memories right? Memories about your childhood, memories about your friends, stuff like that. And now you want to find out what those memories are."

Amu frowned. Why did she had a feeling there was some kind of catch to this deal?

"Of course, being a servant to the Phantom Lord, I can grant that wish. But…." He looked around, "Well, this isn't exactly the best spot to do it." Raiden walked over to a seesaw in the middle of the park, laying out five cards from his hand, "My powers are limited. I can't simply make you recover all of your memories. Only certain ones. So….We're going to play a little game."

She gulped nervously, "A-A game?"

Raiden waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing too life-threatening. You just have to pick a card and whatever kind of card it is will determine what kind of memories I'm going to help you recover." Amu glanced at the cards laid out before her. She had no way of knowing what kind of card she will pick up. Nor did she had any clue of what Raiden's intentions were or why was he doing this. Yet, she couldn't the curiosity about her forgotten past burning within her.

She took in a deep breath. She only had one shot. Either way, she would gain a memory that would fill up one of the empty gaps left in her memory of her past.

"Oh yeah. There's something else I have to tell you," he added, "I have never tried to help a human recover her memories so there's a slight possibility that there might be some…." He paused for dramatic effect, "...side effects." He gave a sardonic smile, "Do you still want to go with this?"

"…..Yes." There was no turning back now. Amu reached out and picked up the card on the upright left corner. Turning it around, she saw it was a four card with a heart suit on it.

"A four heart card, huh?" Raiden chuckled, "Good." He stretched out his arms and said to her, "Close your eyes. This will probably take a few seconds."

Amu shut her eyes shut, a little afraid of what was coming next. She felt someone's hand go over her eyes and suddenly, a flood of images entered the confinements of her mind, easily going over barriers towards her exposed emotions. The images were all fleeting yet she could pick them out easily. A strange feeling overcame her. It was a feeling of a heavy sadness that threatened to shut down the open doors to her mind and conceal herself in her shell like a frightened turtle.

She didn't even notice that she was slowly falling, losing her grip, darkness welcoming her as she landed on the floor with a thud.

* * *

"Sempai!"

Kairi tackled into the girl just in time before her attack could land on Amu. Amu fell to the ground, shivering on her knees as she watched Kairi trying to keep the girl back. The girl waved her blade around wildly, knocking the wooden sword out of Kairi's hand. Startled, Kairi faltered for a bit, giving the demon girl a chance to break free from his grasp. She faced them, her eyes filled with a strong bloodlust.

Snapping out of her senses, Amu rushed to Kairi's side, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Stay back though. I don't know what it's planning to do next."

A siren sounded loudly. The girl perked up, the bloodlust in her eyes replaced with a new emotion: fear. She immediately jumped to the top of a house, darting from rooftop to rooftop. Amu looked behind her and saw a police car approaching them. The car stopped short and two policemen got out of it.

One of them came over to her, "Are you kids alright?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah." She felt Kairi duck behind her back, staring at the policemen timidly.

The other one directed his flashlight at the direction the girl went, "She's getting away! After her!"

"Get home soon, okay? It's not safe to be out this late." With that, the two policemen chased after the girl, desperately trying to keep up before they lost sight of her.

"She'll be back," Amu heard Kairi mutter, "We can't stay here too long. Come on."

* * *

Raiden looked down at the unconscious body of Amu Hinamori, wiped out from the sudden flow of memories entering her mind.

He shrugged, "Oh well. At least I was right about her suffering side effects."

"Raiden-san!"

Before he could turn around to see who it was, he felt himself tackled aside by some powerful force, flying straight into ground. Raiden rubbed the back of his head in pain. Who attacked him?

He slowly sat up, and much to his surprise, saw Tadase there, whose ruby red eyes were filled with rage.

"T-Tadase-kun…." How did he get here? Raiden himself had checked that no one had tailed Amu when she got here.

"What did you do to Hinamori-san?" Tadase demanded to know. He took on a protective stance, obviously prepared for a fight.

"Nothing you should know." He couldn't reveal that he helped Amu regain some of her memories. It was going against the Phantom Lord's orders. The Phantom Lord had explicitly stated that none of them were suppose to help out or even give hints that might make Amu recover her memories. Honestly. Couldn't he see that helping Amu recover her memories was a wonderful tactic? But no, the Phantom Lord was too busy playing cautious. He failed to realize that if Amu regained her memories, she would crack from the weight of sadness and the realization that she was connected to the Paranormal Attendants. It was the best method of dealing with her quickly before they moved on to dealing with the other ghosts and the little priestess.

"Liar! I know you are up to something!" Tadase gritted his teeth, his palms flashing with the same golden energy that probably took him out before.

But what was the most surprising thing to Raiden was the look in Tadase's eyes. Never, had he seen such anger in the normally docile and kind boy before. If anything, he would have never thought this was Tadase he was talking to in the first place.

"_Tsukasa was right. Hinamori-san has a strange effect on people." _Then he realized something, _"Wait a minute. Tsukasa….." _He smirked, _"I see….So Tsukasa was the one who sent Tadase here. Interesting…."_

"Where is that woman?"

The two looked to the direction the voice was coming from. It belonged to a very confused and lost young man with midnight blue hair, standing on top of a lamppost, looking out to the horizon.

Raiden could imagine that if Amu wasn't unconscious she would have been scolding him for standing on top of a lamppost like an idle alley cat when he was suppose to be human.

Ikuto finally noticed the three of them, "Huh?" He jumped from the lamppost to the top of a fence, "Raiden? Tadase? What are you guys doing?"

"We were just having a friendly discussion, Ikuto," Raiden told him, "Want to join?"

Ikuto saw Amu's body on the ground, "What happened to her?"

Tadase glared at Raiden, "I don't know. But Raiden-san probably did something to her that made her this way."

Ikuto jumped off and landed safely right next to Tadase. He bent down and shook Amu lightly, "Amu. Amu. Wake up."

"….Huh?" The pinkette sat upright, blinking sleepily as if she just woke up from a nap, "What….What just happened?"

"You're awake!" Raiden exclaimed cheerfully, "You're much stronger than you look, Hinamori-san. Most humans would have been out for days."

"So you did do something to her!" Before Tadase could charge forward to attack him, Ikuto stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't," he warned, "It's not worth getting mad at him." He grabbed both of them by the shoulder and directed them away. Raiden relaxed. At least he didn't have to run away again. Maybe he should take up karate classes since the Phantom Lord never did grant him powers that were meant to be offensive.

But then Ikuto said, "Oh Raiden." He turned his head to him, "I don't understand what happened, but don't start thinking that you're all high and mighty just because you took Amu down. There are other people you should be worrying about." With that, Ikuto walked away with Amu and Tadase following closely behind him.

"I hate to admit it, but he has a point," Raiden muttered as soon as they were out of sight. There were other troubling pieces on the board that he had to worry about aside from Amu. Ikuto himself was one of them. And the Phantom Lord, obviously. And now Tsukasa was among those pieces. He never expected that Tsukasa would take action. Then again, Tsukasa had pretty much been staying in the background while the game continued.

"There's one thing Ikuto-kun got wrong though…." He got on top of a swing and started swinging back and forth, "I'm not worried at all! In fact, I'm having a lot of fun!" Laughing happily like how would a child laugh on receiving his favorite toy on Christmas Eve, he swung back and forth on the swings, "What will they do now? What will be the outcome? I can't wait! I love this town! I LOVE YOU ALL!"

* * *

"Ikutonii-san."

Amu was walking with Tadase and Ikuto as they continued down the sidewalk.

"Hm?"

He went forward and bowed his head apologetically, "I have to go. I need….some time alone."

Ikuto nodded in understanding, "Alright. I'll take care of Amu."

Tadase bowed again and started to head the opposite direction they were going. But before he left, he said, "Nii-san?"

"Yes?"

"Thank…Thank you. I was being irrational. I'm sorry."

"…..I know." Ikuto watched him go silently, his violet eyes filled with sympathy for the blonde-haired boy.

"Something's wrong with Tadase-kun today," Amu noticed. Usually, Tadase was never this distant to her or anyone else before.

"He's probably thinking about _that_," said Ikuto with a light shrug.

Amu was suspicious, "That….?"

"It's nothing." He looked at her, "So what did Raiden do to you?"

"Uh….." Amu wondered whether or not she should tell Ikuto about this. Would Raiden be okay with her telling one of the ghosts about how he helped her recover some of her memories? Probably not.

"It's a secret."

"I knew you were going to say that." He then reached out to touch her face, "So you won't explain why you look like you just saw someone get run over by a car on the street?" Her golden eyes were wide with fear and she was visibly shaking. He wiped away a drop of cold sweat dripping down her face.

"W-What are you talking about?" she stuttered. She looked down at her hands and noticed that they were clammy and twitching ever so slightly. Letting out a small gasp, she slapped his hand away, stepping back in fear. An image threatened to resurface in her mind. A pair of crushed glasses. A pool of blood. Police keeping back a crowd of spectators. A woman screaming until her voice went hoarse. A still body of a boy on the floor. A numb feeling spreading to her legs.

"Amu…Amu!"

She looked up sharply, finding herself looking into a pair of violet eyes filled with concern.

"Sorry….." She didn't want to break down. Not in front of him. "I think….I think I need some time alone too."

At first, she thought he was going to protest, but much to her surprise, he smiled genuinely at her and said, "Okay. If that's what you want, then I won't stop you." She was taken back. Usually, she saw him with a bored expression or a mischievous smirk on his face. Or maybe it was because she never saw that side to him before.

"But if you see that Raiden guy again….whatever he says, don't let it get to you. He feeds off of people's reactions. Don't complicate things. If you react the way he wants, he's going to be dancing on your grave."

Amu froze. Was the reason why Raiden help her recover her memories was because he knew she would react this way when she found out? Had she fallen into his trap?

But before she could ask any of those questions, Ikuto was already gone, vanishing into depths of Harima.

* * *

Kairi stared at his shopping list as he walked through the shopping district of Harima. He was left in charge of doing the shopping today. Actually, Tadase was supposed to do it but he had left in such a hurry that he wasn't able to stop him.

A slight breeze made his hair and tie dance in the wind as he looked overhead. Something was wrong. He couldn't exactly explain it. There was a change in the wind. Something was going to happen. Whether or not it would happen very soon he did not know.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you okay?"

"What….? Leave me alone. Can't you see I'm tired?"

"But you're lying on the floor. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine means fine, woman! Where's my sake? I need a drink!"

"Excuse me? What happened?" Kairi approached the two women. One looked at the other woman in annoyance, who was lying on the floor in a stupor.

"Apparently, this person here drank too much and she's been sitting here for half an hour."

Kairi bent down until he was at eye level with the woman, "Uh….Miss?"

The woman looked at him with her baggy purple eyes, "What?"

Even though Kairi tried to speak, no words came out of his mouth. It was all caught in his throat. Tears threatened to spring into his eyes. He was in complete shock but at the same time, filled with a choking emotion that came from the bottom of his heart. It took him a few long minutes for him to finally be able to say something.

"Onee….-chan?"

* * *

**A/N: **For those of you confused, the "master" and the "mistress" in the first part of the chapter are Amu's grandparents.

Constructive criticism is appreciated.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: **This chapter...took...so...long...to...write. =_= I think it's because the first part of the chapter took about at least 7 pages. Anyway, I have most of the week off so there's a slight chance that chapters _may _be uploaded faster. I can't guarantee it. Since most of the chapters vary in length.

**iza: **Both "sempai" and "senpai" are correct. "Sempai" is the spelling for how it is pronounced. "Senpai" is the actual spelling for it, but I'm more used to spelling it out as "sempai" then "senpai". Plus, it's really late to change it now. ^ ^; Considering how many chapters I have that has it spelled out that way.

**iXr: **Raiden's personality is based off of Izaya from Durarara!. I really should've said that earlier but I forgot to mention it. He isn't a lover of all humans though unlike Izaya.

**Wombat-Mel: **I get slight inspiration from Angel Beats! since I love it so much. Though the whole concept of "resolving last regrets from their previous life" didn't come from Angel Beats! since Paranormal Attendants was first published before that anime came out. Also, I had this idea for a while now.

**Eccentric Ecstasy: **Personally, I don't like it when a writer puts a lot of detail in action scenes. Actions happen in an instant and you don't want to go overboard with putting description there cause it'll bore the reader. (Or me personally. Not so sure about the rest of you.) And since there's really no pictures for the reader to see what's going on, there needs to be description of the setting/surroundings so the reader can paint a picture of it in their minds. At least, that's why I think that kind of writing style is so common.

* * *

Nighttime shrouded the Harima Archaeological Materials Museum in perpetual darkness. Not a single soul was around. Only the electric lighting inside one single room kept the darkness from completely swallowing up the building in its shadow.

The room itself wasn't particularly anything beautiful. The only noticeable thing about was the suspicious round metal door that stood in the back with two guards standing right next to it.

The guard surveyed his surroundings nervously. He was new and wasn't exactly used to the silent ticks of the clock in the middle of the night and only having a cane on him as a weapon. It didn't help that the room he was in was filled with paintings that seemed to stare at him.

But at the same time, the paintings were what made the room have a strange mystical feeling to it. The paintings were the only things that kept the room significant of value. The guard couldn't help but notice that all of the paintings were arranged in chronological order. Each one depicting a scene from the legend of Harima. If anything, one could say that the room itself was like a giant picture book.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move in the corner of the room.

"Hey! Did you see that?" He shook his partner roughly, whose head was drooping in slumber.

"Hm? Wha….?" His partner rubbed his eyes sleepily, "What is it now?"

"There!" He pointed to the corner where he saw it, "I saw something move!"

"What? I don't see anything."

"But I did see something move!" He was certain of it, "Maybe a burglar broke in."

"Don't be silly. Why would any burglar have any interest in a couple of paintings? Besides, no one should know about the new shipment that came in yesterday. It was kept completely secret and sealed."

"I don't know…" He was positive he saw something. There was no way it could have been his imagination.

His partner rolled his eyes, "Oh fine. I'll go look." He went over to the corner he had pointed out earlier. He held out his arms as he walked around, "See? There's nothing."

"Um….Dude?" The guard's knees shook as he stared at the tall figure behind his partner. A long beak protruded from its face and the folds of its kimono dragged across the floor. It drew out two fans from its back, holding them out.

"L-Look behind you!" He turned around just in time to see the bird-like creature closing in on him. Screaming hysterically, his partner lashed out blindly with his cane, knocking the two fans from the creature's hands. It staggered back, letting out a small shriek from its beak. Shaking his head furiously, the guard took his cane out from his belt, ready to help out his friend in case he needed it.

Suddenly, he was tackled from the back by something. He let out a small "oomph" as he fell down faceflat on the floor. Groaning, he got up and looked behind him to see who attacked him.

Another creature that looked an exact copy of the one that attacked his friend towered over him. Its eyes narrowed into slits as it glared down at him.

"Keeheeheehee!"

The sound of mad giggles echoed loudly in the room as the lights started to flicker. On and off. On and off.

The guard watched in horror as the shadows in the room started to take shape. Faces with wide Chesire Cat-like grins formed and their bodies grew more solid as they continued to giggle madly during their transformation. A couple of them tilted their heads side to side in sync with each other, chanting loudly.

"All hail the Phantom Lord! All hail the Phantom Lord!"

From the shadows, stepped out a girl with a pair of horns on her head. Her scarlet eyes shone brightly in the dim light. She turned around to face the wall behind her.

"The pests are taken care of."

"Excellent…."

A large portal ripped open on the wall of the room, a strange sensation overcoming the guard that caused him to shiver. It turned his knees into jelly and a strong instinct struggled to overcome him. It was the same instinct deer have when facing a wolf. The sensation of impending danger.

A man dressed in a long dark cloak stepped out of the portal. A hood covered his head and a grinning white mask covered his face. He faced the scarlet-eyed girl and asked, "Where are Raiden and Tsukasa?"

"They're busy handling the new recruits," she told him, "You sure it's okay leaving things to them? Honestly. I don't know what you're thinking. You brought almost half of all the people in the spirit world here and left those two in charge."

"Oh? I thought you would like that those two have been left in charge. You're hoping that those two would cause an up rise against me and I would lose my position as the Phantom Lord."

"And you _won't_?" asked the girl, almost in a threat, her eyes flashing.

"Because I won't. Both of them have flaws that are fatal to them, so I don't need to worry about them rebelling against me. Besides, the main reason why I have almost all of the people from the spirit world here is so they won't gather allies. Also I don't want to scare the new recruits. It'll bring trouble if another ghost tried to run away."

"W-What do you guys want?" the guard finally blurted out. He gulped when the man and the girl looked in his direction. He could feel his partner staring at him with a look that said: "Are you crazy?" He didn't what caused him to have the guts to suddenly challenge them. All he knew he had to do his job of protecting the two swords.

"It's nothing you should worry about, human," said the man, "I'm here to retrieve something for someone." He turned to the portal, "Bring him out!"

A group of shadows watched closely as something slowly stepped out of the portal. It was a boy in his early teens with his head lowered as he treaded his feet against the floor. He suddenly stopped and shook his foot wildly. It was only until he heard the frantic clanks against the floor did he realize that there was a chain around the boy's foot. In that instant, the shadows crowded around him, holding him down so he wouldn't struggle. One of them pressed down hard on his head, making him go down on his knees.

"SSSShow the Phantom Lord ssssome ressspect…." The shadows hissed. However, the "Phantom Lord" wasn't even paying any attention to the teenage boy. He was walking around the room aimlessly, staring at each of the paintings that hung on the wall.

"Foolish…." He muttered, "Useless….Stubborn…Stupid….Imbeciles….." He reached out and took one of the paintings off the wall, throwing it hard on the floor. The sound of glass shattering echoed loudly as the painting struck one of the glass cases in the room. The guard watched in horror as mad uncontrollable laughs escaped the man's lips.

"Ahahahahaha! You all had it coming, foolish humans! You all refused to listen to my warnings centuries ago! You all deserved to have this curse placed on your town, destined to watch your loved ones come back from the dead, only to watch them turn into horrible blood-crazy monsters the next! YOU ALL HAD IT COMING, FOOLISH HUMANS!" His laughs were reduced to pants for air, his hands falling limply to his sides. The girl next to him shook her head and she stepped forward to face the guard's partner.

"We don't have all day. Go open the vault," she ordered him, "We need the two swords inside."

He shook his head furiously, "Never…..I'll never open the vault for you thieves!"

She brought her heel down on his face, "Open. The. Vault."

"No…..I….won't…"

She snorted, "Another stubborn human." She faced the crowd of shadows, "Take care of him. I don't care how you'll torture him. Just make him screaming for mercy."

The shadows giggled gleefully and all at once, they started to crowd around him. The guard couldn't see what was going on but he saw his partner covered in black energy, screaming. He was writing around the floor in pain with the shadows watching him as if they were watching the best movie of all time.

"No! No!" he screamed, "Please stop!" His eyes were wide with fear and his arms were flailing about like a fish on land. This only served to make him covered with even more black energy, entirely consuming him. His hands reached out desperately to grab onto something but he only caught air. The girl continued to observe her fingernails with little or no interest. "Spare me! Spare me, please!" he continued to plead as he looked at the girl.

"Stop it!" the guard shouted, "Can't you see he's suffering?"

The girl looked slightly annoyed, "Already? How boring. Alright. Let him go." The shadows stepped back, the black energy vanishing from the guard's partner. He wasn't sure what scared him more. Watching his friend scream in pain or the girl's calm reaction to watching him being tortured by the mysterious black energy.

His partner shakily rose to his feet, taking out the keys to the vault out of his pocket. His hands shook violently as he stumbled forward towards the large metal door. His hands were shaking so much that it was a wonder that they keys didn't slip out of his hands.

"Hurry up."

He was about to put one of the keys into the slot until a shadow blocked him, glaring at him with its bright glowing eyes.

"Make way," the girl snarled, her patience already fading, "I don't have time to deal with you."

The shadow shifted its glare onto the girl, "I refussse to let thissss happen….SSStealing two ssswordssss from a musssseum? The previousssss Phantom Lord never did sssuch a thing." The shadow's words were directed at the masked man who had been standing quietly in the corner.

"But I'm doing this for one of our fellow ghosts. Won't you count that as generosity?" the masked man asked the shadow.

"You are a coward," it spat, "The previousss Phantom Lord had a lot more gutssss than you. SSSSShe did all what ssssshe had to do in order to make thingssss her way. You-"When the shadow tried to finish its sentence, a dry, raspy sound came from its throat. The shadow fell to the ground and vanished into thin air. The other shadows, who were giggling nonstop before, suddenly grew dead silent. The masked man whirled around and looked at them sharply.

"Well? Anyone else wants to join him?" he asked.

"No, my lord…."

"Good. Now hurry up and open the vault."

The guard's partner nodded his head and fitted one of the keys into the keyhole, turning it around as a loud click sounded, indicating that the door had been unlocked. The girl's scarlet eyes were filled with triumph as he swung the door open to reveal what was inside. It opened to a small room with a glass case in the middle. Inside, two carefully wrapped up katanas sat on the red felt beneath the glass. The masked man stepped forward to lift the glass case off of the katanas. He held them up and faced the shadows.

"These….are the famed swords of our enemy: the demon hunters." The shadows roared and stamped their feet against the floor. "But….we're not killers like them. Even if one is standing right in front of us, we won't attack it. Why? Because…..they will eventually become one of us." As he was saying this, the masked man was making his way through the crowd towards the chained up teenage boy. The two swords floated from the man's hands and the blades were drawn out from their scabbards. The two katanas hovered above the boy, the tip of blades just slightly touching his back. Without warning, the two katanas dived straight through the boy's body.

The guard flinched at the sound of the boy screaming in pain. Yet, there was no blood. The katanas kept going deeper and deeper into his body but no tip of the blades could be seen. It took him a few minutes to realize that the katanas _were fusing with his body_. Within a matter of minutes, the katanas had completely disappeared, absorbed into the boy's body. He fell onto the ground, shivering.

"What did you do?" the guard demanded to know.

The masked man shrugged, "Granted him a new ability that's all. He'll wake up in a few minutes. Bring him back to the spirit world." The two bird-like creatures he ordered nodded their heads and lifted up the boy with their arms as they waddled back to the portal in the wall. "Tell me. What are the new recruits like?" the masked man asked the scarlet-eyed girl.

"I haven't met them. How should I know?" One of the shadows stepped up to her and whispered in her ear. "What? Are you serious? Hm…."

"What's wrong?"

"Something about the new recruits resisting. Both Raiden and Tsukasa are dealing with them right now."

"Interesting….I can't wait to meet them." He gestured for a couple of shadows to come over, "Take care of these guards. Make sure they don't want to remember a thing that happened today." With that, he went through the portal in the wall along with the chained up boy.

The guard looked around frantically as the shadows ganged up on him. What were they going to do to him?

Suddenly, pain surged through his body, a scream caught in his throat as he felt something press hard against his very conscience. It felt as if his existence was being torn apart into little ribbons and his body was being crushed by the sheer force of a huge object.

Bloody images flashed through his mind. A young man being torn into shreds of flesh, blood dripping down his face. A crack sounding as a person's neck twisted around violently. Bodies falling onto the ground one by one. His arms struggled to move. What were these images? What was happening to him? Voices, pictures, sounds, kept on circulating through his head, his mind starting to collapse from the weight of all the information he was receiving.

"_No! I won't go! I refuse to ever go back to that place ever again! Stay…Stay away from me!"_

"_You failed. And because of that, you shall pay the price."_

"_Down with the demons!"_

The girl was about to go after the masked man into the portal when the guard reached and grabbed her by the ankle. He was desperate. He wanted a way out of this torture they were forcing him to endure.

"Please…." He begged, "Please kill me! I can't stand this! End it!" The shadows went closer and closer as his pleads grew louder in volume. "I promise I didn't see anything! I swear!"

The girl roughly kicked his hand away, "It's true that I can easily kill you right here and now. And I've killed many people before. But….." Her lips curved upwards into a sneer, revealing a white fang, "I'm not nice enough to give you that kind of kindness." She left him there, to suffer the painful consequences of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

Dusk was approaching. The last rays of the sun before it went down shone from the peak of the horizon. Kairi sat down on a lone bench by a street lamp, staring down at his hands.

"_And so the hunter becomes the hunted," _he thought to himself.

* * *

"Onee….-chan?"

His "older sister" stared at him for a long time, her eyes wide with realization, "….Kairi?"

The woman looked between the two of them, "You two know each other? Well I guess she's in your hands now." She walked away, muttering something about a pain in her back somewhere. Kairi just stood there in front of his sister, unsure what to say. He was dead. Yet he was standing right before his sister whom he had not seen for many years.

Then, his sister shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe this….It has finally happened. I'm starting to see delusions of my dead brother."

"That's not it!" he protested, "I mean, I am dead, but I'm real!"

"Sure. Sure." She sat upright and fixed her glasses as she got a better look at him, "But….for a hallucination, you sure do look very realistic. In fact, you look like what Kairi would have been if he was still alive."

"But I am Kairi!" he insisted, "And you're my sister! Yu…Yukari….Yukari Sanjo….And I'm…..Kairi Sanjo…." His eyes widened as more memories continued to pour into his head, "I go to Higashi Academy. I come from a family of demon hunters. My father died of lung cancer and my mom died of a heart attack. I have asthma because of my father's smoking habits. And…..Ugh….."

"You know a few years after you died I lost my job as manager?" Yukari asked him, indicating that she wasn't really listening to what he was saying earlier.

"That's because Utau Hoshina quitted being a singer, right?" What was his sister trying to get at?

"Yeah….I tried looking for a job. I managed to get an office job but before that I had a really tough time. I had to sell our family treasure to a museum in order to get money. You know it, right? Those two swords that are rumored to belong to Musashi Miyamoto. But they really are just swords passed from generation to generation of demon hunters."

"_Two swords…." _His hand unconsciously reached for his other hand. He still hadn't forgotten that day when those two swords fused with his body.

"I remember that you took them with you on the day you died."

Kairi froze, "W-What?"

"I didn't notice it at first. I thought some burglar broke in and took off with the swords. That was when your friend came in. What was her name? I think it was….." She creased her brow, trying hard to remember. Another memory was making its way to Kairi's head. He could faintly remember asking a pink-haired girl to run away as fast as she could.

"….Is it Hinamori-sempai?" he guessed.

"Yeah! Her name was Amu Hinamori! She told me that you were in danger and needed help. I followed her as fast as I could. You were always so frail and sickly. I was afraid that you were coming down with another asthma attack. But that wasn't entirely the case."

More memories continued to pour into Kairi's head. He remembered his throat constricting, gasping for air. His asthma pump was on the ground, just a few feet away from him. His knees gave way, falling onto the floor, his swords slipping out of his hands. His hand was shakily reaching for the asthma pump. Just a little longer….

"Apparently, you were fighting a demon with those two swords. I'm not sure what happened but you were trying to get your asthma pump until that demon got you."

That was when he felt a sense of impending danger. The demon was standing over his unprotected back. He could imagine the demon's triumphant smirk as its hand transformed into a small blade.

"There was so much blood…." Yukari said, shivering, "There was no hope of the doctors saving you. You were already gone. We were too late."

"_Got you." _And down went the blade into Kairi's heart. His senses whited out and he felt unbearable pain surging through his body. Death was coming. If there was such a thing as the Grim Reaper, he would imagine it holding its scythe overhead, ready to cut down his soul. He struggled to fight the cold darkness that threatened to welcome him into its depths. But his every drop of strength was drained. His last thoughts were fleeting as his eyes slowly slid shut.

"_I….failed…."_

_

* * *

_

Amu sat staring at her laptop screen, her eyes void of emotion. On the screen, was a window that had an article titled: "A Controversial Murder at Higashi Academy". It was an article on a murder that happened a long time ago near the gates of Higashi Academy. She knew the details. After all, she was a witness.

"_Kairi Sanjo, a student of Higashi Academy, was mysteriously killed at the gates of the school yesterday. No one is sure of what happened but the boy was already dead by the time the police reached the scene. Police suspect that the murderer drove a knife or some other sharp object into the boy's heart, killing him within a few seconds. Unfortunately, none of the witnesses were willing to reveal any information of the murder…"_

She had forgotten something at school and went back to get it. That was when the demon found her there. She remembered trying to escape, the demon following closely in pursuit. Kairi arrived just in time to save her, using two swords to make the demon to back off. He told her that she had to run back home since she stood no chance against it. She remembered protesting, saying that she wouldn't leave him alone to fight a monster that could potentially kill him. But he insisted and in the end, she chose to follow his orders and ran away. She managed to reach the front of her house but couldn't get rid of the feeling that Kairi was in danger.

She remembered calling the police, telling them that someone was trying to kill Kairi at the school gates. The feeling of fear threatened to take over, causing her to stumble over her words more than once. After that, she ran to Kairi's house, telling his sister that her brother needed help. Both of them ran out in the direction of the school. She remembered praying that he would be alright. That their life would go back to normal after this. That everything would be okay.

But that did not happen. He was already gone by the time they reached him. The doctors lifted him up onto the hospital bed and placed a white sheet over his body. She prayed that it was all a dream. That when she woke up the next day, she would still find him at school, alive and well. She kept praying that. But eventually reality sunk in and all her hopes of him recovering was crushed. He was never going to come back.

"_But he did come back. As a ghost. Is it fate? For him to come back as a ghost and to serve me as one of the Paranormal Attendants?"_

A loud knock sounded on her bedroom door. "Come in," she said to the person on the other side. The door swung open to reveal it was Kukai, who greeted her with a cheerful grin.

"Yo." He sat on the side of her bed, the mattress sinking from his weight, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," she lied. Amu pushed the lid of her laptop down so he wouldn't see what she was reading. "What about you?"

He shrugged lightly, "Oh nothing….I was just thinking that all of us haven't been hanging out together lately. Maybe we should go out together somewhere again. You can invite your friends over too. We don't mind."

Now that Amu thought about it, it was true. Even though something crazy always seemed to happen whenever they did hung out together, she couldn't deny that she always had a fun time whenever she was with them.

"But enough about me." He turned around and looked at her straight in the eye, "You're lying to me, aren't you?" His expression still had the same cheerfulness it had before but his eyes were serious.

She was taken by surprise, "You noticed?"

"Well….Ikuto told me about it but even if he didn't tell me, I still would've noticed. So what happened? Between you and Raiden?"

Amu hesitated for a moment. Should she tell him? She didn't think that Raiden would like it but at the same time, she felt that she could trust Kukai.

"He helped me recover some of my memories," she said at last, "But….they weren't exactly good ones."

"Do you feel like talking about it?"

"….I found out that I knew Kairi since elementary school. He came from a family of demon hunters. One day, I got attacked by a demon on the streets and it ran away when the police came. But it came back when I went to my school to get something and Kairi arrived just in time to save me. He told me to run away, but instead of going home and staying there, I called the police and his sister because I thought he was in danger. And when I finally got there, he was…."

"…Dead?" Kukai guessed.

She nodded, "I don't know. I guess….I always found Kairi as an important friend to me and the fact that I didn't arrive in time….."

Kukai got up and stretched out his arms, "And so you feel like his death was your fault." Amu lowered her head, her bangs covering her face. "But say if you did arrive at time, what would have you done?"

"I…." Amu bit her lip. What would have she done? She had no knowledge of combat skills at the time even though Kairi did give her some advice on how to defend herself. Besides, the demon's main objective was to kill her and it would probably waste no time on trying to do so.

"Kairi was trying to protect you," Kukai continued to say, "If you came on time, you would've been just an extra burden for him to take care of. I don't think he regretted dying to protect you. Isn't it enough that you get to meet him again as a ghost?"

"But I didn't remember him when we first met."

"So? Kairi is still Kairi. Even if he is a ghost. I don't know a lot about how a human becomes a ghost but he's still him, right? In spirit that is."

"….." She thought about how she didn't believe that the Paranormal Attendants were ghosts when she first met them. She thought about the fun time they had when they went to the beach despite the fact that she almost got kidnapped by some demon. She thought about how they had a fun time watching Kukai and Utau compete against each other in a watermelon tournament. She thought about how as time and time progressed; the ghosts slowly became more human to her, to the point where she forgot that they were ghosts at all.

"...Yeah. Thanks, Kukai." It was enough that she made an effort to try to save him. She did all she could. And even if she wasn't satisfied with just that, she was glad to meet him again after his death.

"Oh, can you do something for me?" Kukai asked her suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Kairi hasn't gotten back from his shopping yet. Can you go check on him? I think he should still be in the shopping district downtown."

"Okay. I'll go look." Shutting down her laptop, she got up and went out of the room. As she walked through the hallway, she thought she saw Tsukasa on top of a ladder, wiping one of the windows. Had she taken a closer look, she would've seen a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

There were a lot less people in the shopping district now. Many of them were heading home as they walked past Amu. The clerks behind their counters waved to their customers goodbye as they prepared for nightfall. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for any trace of a boy in glasses. A strange feeling of unease settled on her heart. She didn't know why. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was about to happen.

She was approaching the site of the bridge in the middle of Harima's shopping district. Next to a lamppost, she caught a glimpse of green hair. Coming closer, she saw that it was indeed Kairi, who was deep in thought as he stared down at his hand.

"Kairi!"

He looked up at the sound of his name, "Hina…..Ojou-sama?"

She took a seat next to him, "You don't need to call me that."

"…..Hinamori-sempai….do you…um…..know about….?"

"About us being friends when we were kids?"

Kairi sighed, "So you know….Then you know about how I died, right?" His eyes were fixated at the sight of the sunset across the bridge, the sounds of the stream below filling up the silence.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"To be killed at the hands of a demon…..I'm a disgrace to the Sanjo family. I thought that I was able to overcome my weaknesses and be reborn with a new strength. But that didn't happen. Instead, my asthma was the cause of my fall. I couldn't save your grandparents." His eyes had a distant look to them, almost as if he was lost in another world, "To be killed that way….I really am nothing but a weakling."

"That's not true!" Amu protested, "I mean you saved me, didn't you? If you hadn't arrived, I would've been slashed to pieces!"

Kairi stared at her blankly, "Saved….."

"You said that you wanted to be my bodyguard, didn't you? At first, I thought that it was unfair, that you rescued me yet died in the process. I blamed myself. I told myself that I should've stayed behind to help you. That I wasn't fast enough. But if I died against that demon, I probably wouldn't have met you again as the Paranormal Attendants' mistress."

Realization dawned upon Kairi's face as she said those words. His lips curved upwards into a peaceful smile. The doubt that clouded his eyes was gone now, fading away into oblivion.

"I see…." He muttered. The sky was turning dark now, the sun almost completely out of sight. A lone evening star could be seen in the vast sky above them. Glancing upwards, he wondered out loud, "Are my parents up there? Watching over me?" Amu followed his gaze to the sky and thought about the answer to his question.

The ghosts said that they came from the spirit world, a world that was neither heaven nor hell. The souls of the dead came there if they suffered some kind of last regret. But what if they didn't? Would those souls ascend to some higher plane of existence?

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Kairi's body flicker, almost as if he was a fading hologram. When she rubbed her eyes and looked again, Kairi's body went back to normal. He was saying something but the weight of what was to come sagged heavily on her that she couldn't hear what he was saying.

"_I'm…..go….ing….to…dis….a…."_

"No!" she shouted as she suddenly stood up. Amu was panting hard, her heart beating fast with fear. Fear for what she had seen before her eyes.

"Hinamori-sempai?" Kairi's face was normal. He still looked solid and his eyes watched her in puzzlement at her behavior.

"I….need a moment," she managed to say before leaving for the water fountain a few blocks away. Her world was spinning. She couldn't get hold of the reality before her. To the point where she almost stumbled. Cold water splashed in her face as she tried to drown out the thought of what she had just seen.

"_But did you really think that you and the Paranormal Attendants would stay together forever?" _her conscience spoke, _"Did you really think that they would have still seen their deaths as the cruelest thing to happen to them forever? While you continued on with your life and grow old as the years go by?"_

Amu slowly straightened her back, her eyes wide with fear and guilt. A small drop of water fell from the spout of the water fountain, right into the puddle that was forming below.

"_Is it alright?" _she asked herself, _"Is it alright….for me to actually want them to stay?"_

An orb of light floated across the sky, dancing across the clouds like a little butterfly. It had no clear course of direction. All it knew that it just wanted to fly high into the sky. To reach the world that possibly existed out there.

She turned around and ran back to the bench by the bridge. She had no time to lose. If that light was what she thought it was….

When Amu had finally reached the bench, she stopped in her tracks, her previous impulse to keep going gone. The bench was empty. All that remained were two katanas lying on top of the bench. Kairi was nowhere to be seen. Even though she didn't see him disappear, she could hear his voice telling her his last thoughts before leaving.

"_Goodbye, Hinamori-sempai."_


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: **Glad so many of you enjoyed the previous chapter even though it was kind of sad. It was originally going to happen much later but then I decided to get it over with now so the story could move forward at a slightly faster pace.

**Half Angel Half Evil: **The main reason why I didn't make Nagihiko go first is because of the whole complicated plot that surrounds him, Nadeshiko, and Rima in later chapters. Which starts now.

**MahCandyBoo22: **Pretty much, unfortunately.

**Goose-chan: **Don't forget his wheelchair spinning. Or his girl impersonation on the Internet. :P

Really? I didn't think the chapter would affect people that much. :o

As said above, pretty much, yeah.

**Choco-Pocky-Usa-chan: **Thank you. ^ ^ I don't find my writing style up to par in comparison to other fanfic writers here, but it touches me that you say that you like it.

* * *

_My true self was kept in a cage. My whole life was as if I was looking through the eyes of another person. "This isn't me," I told myself. So I waited. For the day when the cage's lock would open._

_

* * *

_

The young boy felt cold air greeting the back of his neck. The old woman behind him was tying his hair up into a ponytail, gently lifting his long locks of hair. When she was done, she clapped her hands together in approval.

"It looks good on you!" she exclaimed, "Would you like anything else?"

"…No. You may leave." Even though he was a boy, he spoke to her in a rather feminine voice, his voice raising an octave as he said those words.

The old woman bowed her head graciously, "Don't forget to go the practice room. The lady is waiting for you." With that, she went out the room.

The boy stared into his mirror, examining his reflection. His looks were effeminate: having slender fingers and face, long hair, soft eyelashes, and a nice, fair complexion. A complete stranger would have easily been fooled into thinking that he was a girl. The only way to tell was the solemn look in his eyes. A look so solemn that some people would be bothered by it. Kids were not supposed to be solemn. They were supposed to run wild and free with innocence that had yet to be tainted by the world. But no such thing showed in the boy's eyes.

A light knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, "Master? Are you coming?"

"Coming." He gracefully got up from his seat and exited the room.

* * *

The Harima Motel was the most checked in motel of all of Harima. But that was probably because there were very few motels in Harima, due to the lack of tourists coming in and out. A lot of people outside were afraid of the supernatural tales surrounding Harima and had no interest in the usually quiet settlement. Only those interested in the occult came, only to leave with a disappointed look on their face.

Yukari Sanjo wasn't one of those people. She was the type of person who came and went whenever she felt like it. At least that was Ikuto's impression of her.

Right now, he was talking with her in the motel. The bedroom was neat and tidy. Like any other room you would find in a motel. However, you could catch a faint whiff of alcohol somewhere. Amu sat next to him, staring down at her feet, avoiding eye contact throughout most of their conversation.

Ever since what happened yesterday, she had been mostly quiet, and whenever someone would ask her what was wrong, she told them that she was just fine in the most convincing reassuring tone she could muster.

But Ikuto and the others knew she was not. He couldn't forget the look on her face when he found her while he was looking for Yukari. It was only until he called out her name that she started to break down and cry, telling him that Kairi had disappeared.

He himself never cared about finding peace. With no recollection of who he was, there was no way he would want to find peace. The only thing he was concerned about was living his second life to its fullest and what the Phantom Lord and his servants were plotting. He remembered Kukai saying that he gave off a vibe of being a lazy delinquent, a possibility of what kind of person he was during his previous life. Tadase disagreed, suggesting that he might have been a cat in his previous life, changed into a human for who-knows-what reason.

He was sorely going to miss Kairi's blunt remarks and "serious business" attitude. The Paranormal Attendants would never be the same without him.

"I had the weirdest dream last night," Yukari was saying, shaking her head, "I dreamed that I met my dead brother again along with my dead parents. I can't remember what it was exactly about though."

Amu tensed at the mention of "dead brother" which caused Ikuto to glance at her briefly. Her face was pale and beads of cold sweat dripped down her face.

He suddenly stood up, "We're leaving now."

"Now? I guess I have been talking a little too much…See you guys later." She turned around with her back facing them, staring at the white wall before her. Just when Ikuto was about to open the door, she said, "I'm leaving town soon. This is probably the last time I'm coming here. Call me whenever you feel like you need help, okay?"

"Sure." Ikuto wasn't even sure what kind of help she could provide him in the first place. He stepped out the doorway, "Come on, Amu."

"Y-Yeah….." Amu was about to head out the door until she stopped before her foot was fully out the doorway. She turned around and fidgeted nervously, "Um…..Sanjo-san…I…."

Yukari got up from her seat and placed her hand on her head, "You don't have to apologize. I don't blame you." Amu looked taken back and then nodded her head slowly. After giving her one last glance, she went over to Ikuto, still looking down at her feet all the while. Ikuto watched as Yukari cradled a glass of wine in her hands while Amu closed the door.

Knowing there was no longer a point in staying longer, he said, "Let's go."

* * *

Utau was taking a stroll through Harima when the sun was high in the sky. She remembered feeling a strange sensation yesterday. She couldn't fathom what it was. It wasn't anything bad. It was….a nice, comforting feeling. Also, less and less demons were appearing in Harima. Utau had put away her trident since there was really no need for it anymore.

She heard grunts in the distance as the person struggled to carry her suitcase over to the back of the car. Curious, she came closer for a better look.

A woman with shoulder-length red hair heaved as she placed the luggage in the trunk of the car. Her glasses shone in the sunlight as she smiled with triumph. Utau knew that look. It was the one that squealed with pride and joy whenever she released a new album or performed a live concert.

"….Sanjo-san?"

Yukari looked in her direction at the sound of her name, "Utau?" She brightened when she saw it was indeed her, "It is you! I remember you saying that you wanted to go to Harima. How is it? Harima?"

"It's….okay, I guess," Utau replied. She would have never thought that her old manager would come to this town. An idea occurred to her. Did she come here because she wanted her back?

"Sanjo-san, I told you that I-"

"-Don't want to come back, right?" Yukari finished the rest of her sentence, "I know. I'm not going to try. There's no stopping you once you've made up your mind." She pushed the lid of the trunk shut, "I'm going back for our-I mean-my apartment. The motels are stuffy and the sake is more expensive here than back home. How can you live here?" Yukari opened the door to her car and sat in the driver's seat, "Well, see you. And good luck." The engine roared loudly as it sprung to life. Utau bit her lip, not sure what to say. She still remembered the shocked look on her face when she told her that she was going to quit.

"Sanjo-san." Yukari looked up, "I'm…..No…..Thank you. For everything."

She smiled, "Anytime." Utau watched in silence as her car drove away to the outskirts of Harima. She couldn't turn back. She had something to do. Even if it meant costing several of the few friendships she had.

* * *

Back in Harima High, it was breaktime for the students. Some of them went over to visit friends in other homerooms. Some took the time to study for a test in a later period. Others just casually chatted to their classmates while secretly praying that the period would last longer.

Yaya was currently in Rima's homeroom, some of the students inside wondering what a sophomore was doing in a junior's class. But Yaya was never one to care about social norms of society. She was pounding her hands loudly against Rima's desk, causing those who were studying glare at her in annoyance.

"Yaya hates it! Why is Amu-chi absent today?" she whined, tears streaming down from her eyes, "She's usually never absent!"

Rima raised an eyebrow, "Is that the only reason you came to my homeroom? To complain?"

"Actually Yaya wanted to know if you have any of those jelly cups the cafeteria gave out the other day. Yaya was on line, but then they ran out!"

"You know I don't eat cafeteria food. So why should I have it?" she asked flatly, "Besides, I'm sure they're selling them at the snack shop today during lunchtime. You can get it then."

"Yay!" Yaya cheered, "Yaya is going to get jelly cups!" She stopped and looked at Rima in surprise, "Now that Yaya thinks about it, Rima-tan stopped bringing her gag manga to school, right?" At the mention of "gag manga", Rima shot her glare, which caused Yaya to quickly apologize, "Yaya's sorry! Yaya's sorry! Yaya won't ever talk about it again!"

Rima's face softened. She didn't mean to get mad at Yaya. Truth was, she still had her gag manga on her but it was hidden within her bag. She was afraid of it getting stolen again. But those were not her true feelings. She wanted to shut down all feelings of nostalgia, fondness, and guilt she felt towards the book.

"It's not that. It's just….." She stopped, "…Never mind. You wouldn't understand anyway."

Yaya looked a little hurt by this but then quickly put on a cheerful smile on her face, "It's okay! Yaya doesn't want to intrude your privacy or anything! Oh! Since Amu-chi's absent today, why don't we visit her later? Yaya wants to visit those guys again! What were their names? Um…..Yaya doesn't remember….."

"Kukai, Tadase, Kairi, and Nagihiko," Rima told her almost in a single breath. She didn't know what was wrong with her. For some reason, it felt weird hearing Nagihiko's name come out of her mouth.

"Oh yeah! Yaya remembers now! So should we meet up at the school gate? Or should Yaya come to your homeroom when you're done?"

"I'm not going."

As Rima expected, Yaya stuck out her bottom lip, disappointed, "Awww! Why not?"

"Because I don't want to," she answered simply.

"It's not like Utau-tan's there! And those guys are nice! Besides, Amu-chi might be feeling lonely right now! So let's go!"

"I still don't want to," Rima said firmly. She pretended to be interested in the history textbook she had out in front of her. "Besides, it's not like this is the first time Amu was absent."

"Y-You're right. Amu was absent before because she was sick, so maybe that's why."

She couldn't explain her reasons to Yaya for why she didn't want to go. One, was because she did not felt like seeing Nagihiko right now. She was already attempting to shut out her emotions towards the past which often came back to haunt her. Whenever Nagihiko was around, those emotions just multiplied and got more annoying. Two, was because she had a strange feeling that Amu was in no mood to see anyone right now. It was probably just a hunch but the fact that Amu was absent today only increased her suspicions.

"Hey, what are you going to wish for during the Tanabata festival?" a girl in front of Rima asked her friend. When her friend blushed and shook her head, she whined, "Come on! Tell me!"

Rima had zoned out at the mention of the Tanabata festival. She never did tried making any wishes during the holiday every year. There were so many wishes she had that she knew would never be granted. She remembered that as a child, she made the same wish every year during the Tanabata festival.

"_What are you going to wish for, Rima? Mama and I have enough money. We can buy you anything you want."_

"_Can you buy me a friend?"_

Even though she was never hated in elementary school, and a lot of people liked her, it didn't change the fact that not a lot of people actually tried to befriend her. Rima suspected it was because of her strange liking for comedy and the rumors that she could see the supernatural kept most people from actually trying. She was the funny, happy, nice, strange girl. Her conversations with others were usually brief and polite.

She didn't really wish for a friend per say. That was how she worded it back then. What she really wanted was just for someone she could talk to, someone who missed her, and someone who actually wanted her by their side. Of course, it happened. But now….she wished that her wish was never granted.

"That's not true!" A loud voice on the other side of the room caught her attention, "Mashiro-san would never do such a thing!" Two groups of boys were talking to each other, both of them wearing headbands that read: "All hail Rima Mashiro!". Much to Rima's interest, she noticed the three basketball boys and Shizuka among one of the groups.

"B-But…." One of Rima's fanboys shuffled his feet awkwardly, "Mashiro-san had always rejected every one of the boys who confessed to her so….."

"What's going on?" Everyone turned to her at the sound of her voice. "What. Is. Going. On?" Rima repeated, staring at them coldly.

Her fanboys looked at each other hesitantly, "Well…"

"We were talking about the rumors going around school lately," Shizuka blurted out. She hastily clamped her hand over her mouth when Rima's fanboys turned to scowl at her for telling.

"Rumors?"

"Yeah," Gorou, one of the basketball boys, continued for Shizuka, "You know. About if you get a boyfriend he would be cursed?"

"Oh that. So what about it?"

"Your fanboys are arguing about it. Some say it's not true and others say it probably is."

"Those guys were planning on leaving you, Mashiro-san!" shouted one of her fanboys, pointing to the group across from him, "They said that since you get cursed if they get together with you, so they thought-"

"That's not true!" another fanboy protested, "We were only suggesting that it was possible!"

"But you didn't deny thinking about leaving the Rima Mashiro fanclub, right?"

As the two argued back and forth, Rima's anger and frustration started to build up inside of her. She had heard of the rumors some time ago. At first, she thought it was another rumor invented by some jealous girl. But the rumors sounded as if someone somehow managed to get information about her past. Memories struggled to resurface. The hurt look on his face….her parents yelling at the top of their lungs…a searing pain that threatened to eat away at her skin…waking up in the hospital bed…Raiden's voice taunting her over and over….

"_It's all your fault, little priestess. Admit it."_

"Rima-tan?"

Rima could feel everyone's stare boring into her. This only caused her irritation to grow. She felt her hands go up to the sides of her head. The feeling she experienced as a kid was coming back again. To curl up in a ball and protect the vulnerable part of her inside, and pretend that she didn't hear it. That she didn't hear a thing.

"_Everyone knows it. If it weren't for you, none of those things would have happened at all."_

"Shut up," she muttered to no one in particular. The icy composure she kept for all these years was being swallowed up by the flames of fury she felt.

"_It's all your fault….All your fault…"_

"It's not my fault!" she shouted, throwing a tantrum like a little child, "It's not my fault!" The sounds of everyone's feet taking a step back echoed loudly in her ears. Rima could imagine that the look in her eyes must have been wild, her butterscotch curls messed up, looking like a patient at a mental ward finally losing it.

"Mashiro-san? Are you…..?"

She looked up at them sharply, causing many of them to flinch when they made eye contact. Rima's head was spinning. She couldn't think straight. The only thing she was sure of was her intense interest to find out who was the person who spreaded those rumors. They were going to have a little talk.

Rima pointed at her fanboys, "I want all of you to gather information on who started the rumors."

One of her fanboys gestured at the group that looked at her in surprise, "But what about them? I don't think they're planning on following your orders, Mashiro-san."

"I don't care about your little debate right now. What I want is information. No ifs or buts. Now hurry up and get out of my sight."

All of her fanboys scurried out of the room, leaving some fallen over chairs in their wake. Rima sighed. The only thing to do now was to wait.

"Honestly," she muttered under her breath, "This is why I hate loyal boys."

* * *

"It's not here…."

Nagihiko was on his knees searching around the bottom of the living room couch. All he found was a bunch of dust bunnies, a candy wrapper, a pair of batteries, and a key. Sighing, he got back up and brushed off the front of his pants. He couldn't find what he was looking for. He couldn't remember if he had it on hand when he went from the spirit world to the human one.

His hand reached into his pocket, checking one more time if he wasn't just imagining it. Nope. The only thing in his pocket was a small amulet with the words: "Matching" on it.

He looked out the window of the living room. Among the trees that grew outside, he could see his friends bent over something. Tadase was holding flowers in his hands and Kukai was carrying Kairi's two katanas.

Wanting to help out too, he slipped out quietly to join them.

"It's done!"

Tadase gently placed his bouquet of flowers on the tiny memorial they made for Kairi. It was a small slab of stone inserted into the ground with the words: "Kairi Sanjo, our beloved Iinchou". Kukai dug the blades of Kairi's katanas deep into the ground. The memorial wasn't much but it was the best they could do.

"Nice work," Nagihiko commented.

"Thanks. Though it still creeps me out whenever those two swords are around," said Kukai. They learned from Ikuto that Kairi came from a family of demon hunters. Though they were shocked at first, they eventually got over it. However, it didn't stop the chills that went down their spines when they were reminded that the two katanas probably have drunk a thousand a demons' blood.

"You know I'm happy," Tadase said suddenly. He was glassy-eyed, trying his best to hold back the tears. "For Kairi, I mean. I thought that being a ghost, none of us would be able to find peace. We all came here because of regret. And we were told that if we regained our memories we would disappear or become a demon. We were so afraid of disappearing or losing our sanity. But Kairi got his memories and found peace." Tadase brought his hand to his face, "I think if none of us were grouped together as the Paranormal Attendants, Kairi wouldn't have found peace in the first place. I'm happy that I got to meet all of you. Really. Even though….Even though…"

"…_..Even though happy things don't last forever," _Nagihiko finished in his thoughts sadly, _"I know. I know."_

Kukai ruffled Tadase's hair, "Hey, what are you getting so emotional about? It's not like any of us are going to disappear any time soon. If becoming a ghost was to give us a second chance, then we should make the best of it, shouldn't we?"

"I guess….."

Kukai wore a goofy grin on his face. Unlike all of the others, Kukai didn't take being a ghost negatively. He saw it as another chance at life. He just endured whatever life threw at him, always believing in the positive. Even now, with Kairi gone, he was still smiling.

A human soul became a ghost because he or she had a last regret before dying. During the transformation from becoming a wandering soul to a ghost, the person would lose his or her memories as a human. The lost memories could be recovered, but as for the fate of the ghost, who regained them, depended on how well he or she took it.

"_But what if you were given a choice?" _Nagihiko wondered, _"What if you still had your memories when you became a ghost? What if you wanted to forget the unfulfilled and unfair life you thought you lead?"_

"_What if you were the one who decided that you wanted your memories to be erased?"_

_

* * *

_

If one word could describe the aura of the basement in the Hinamori mansion, it would be "gloomy". The basement had never been properly taken care of during the time the mansion was in the hands of Amu's grandparents. They just used it as a storage room whenever there was something that they thought they didn't need but might come useful later.

The books that once sat in the bookshelves were scattered around the room, all over the floor. Amu looked through each and every one, and then would toss one to the side out of frustration. Her eyes were filled with desperation, her hands clammy and shaking.

Ever since yesterday, she felt disconnected with the world. Whenever someone spoke to her, their voice sounded distant, almost like a little whisper in her ear. She couldn't look at anyone in the eye. She was afraid of breaking down.

She remembered crying at her grandparents' funeral. She refused to watch as her grandparents' caskets were sealed shut and sent off to the crematorium. She remembered placing the flower bouquets near her grandparents' body as fast as she could. She wanted to get out of there. She didn't want to suffocate from the somber air at the funeral.

As a kid, she overcame Kairi's death by pretending that she never knew him, and eventually forgot all memories of him. But then he came back as a ghost, and she thought that this was another chance. She recovered her memories too late. Kairi remembered everything and disappeared. She wanted to be told that yesterday was all a dream. That the next day, he would show up and do his chores at the mansion as always.

_"__**All ghosts in servitude **__are __**wiped clean of their memories **__by the time they have stepped into the human world as a ghost. Even so, __**if something happens to trigger their memory, there might be a chance of them being able to recall all of their memories back. **__However, when a ghost does gain back its memories __**one of the two following things will happen**__: the ghost __**will vanish, accepting the fact that he/she has died**__, or, __**will be driven insane, going berserk **__and may even __**turn against its own master or mistress**__."_

Amu slammed the book shut and threw it at the wall. With a loud "thump", the book fell onto the floor. That was all it said. Like all the other books, all it said that when a ghost regained his or her memories, they would either disappear or become a demon. Not even the future-telling book had a prophecy for her so she knew what to do next. Why couldn't she find anything useful? Why did none of these books told her that there was a chance for a ghost to recover his or her memories and stay on Earth?

She slumped forward and cradled her knees. She had no way of pressing the reset button. Life just kept on moving, not waiting for her to recover or take a stand.

* * *

The room in the back of the Harima Archaeological Museum stood empty. Ever since the crime that took place there, no one dared set foot in there. The glass cases covered the exhibits well and the paintings stared at anyone who walked past them. The huge metal door to the vault in the back was still swung open, showing its contents to the world. The glass shards that covered the floor remained untouched. A shadow of a girl casted over the shiny marble floor.

"They really left a mess when they were last here," Nadeshiko, the girl commented as she examined the room. Her ponytail swished from side to side as she turned her head. "Oh well. At least I won't get any trouble from the police while I'm here." She noticed one glass case in the corner, which housed a naginata*. She smiled to herself. _"Perfect."_

Taking a large painting on the floor, and lifting it up above her head, she slammed it down upon the glass case. Pieces of glass flew here and there as the naginata laid unprotected for anyone to grab. A loud siren sounded as Nadeshiko placed the painting against the wall. She frowned.

"So that's why no one was here….They installed alarms so they could tell when someone was going to steal something anyway," she murmured. She quickly lifted the polearm off the red cloth and watched in silence as it fused with her body. She winced when an electric shock went through her body as the naginata entered her arm. When the process was done, she almost fell to her knees from exhaustion.

"I'd have…to thank the Phantom Lord…for giving me this ability that Sanjo-kun had," Nadeshiko panted. She lifted her hand and examined it, "Oh, and Nagihiko too. He regained enough memories for me to finally have a physical form."

"Hey! There's someone there!"

At the sound of the shout, Nadeshiko shakily got to her feet and dived for the nearest window. She felt her body melt and lose its physical form, as she became another reflection on the windowpane. She watched in amusement as the guards looked around wildly for the thief. They would never find her. She didn't exactly hated humans, but it never failed to amaze her at their ignorance of the paranormal. Her love was devoted to one human, and one human only.

She was going to make Rima Mashiro pay. She'll make her sorry for ignoring her. She'll do anything in her power to make her feel so.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter had so much angst. Dx I was going to put in some humor but my brain is half-cooked right now because of the heat. =_= So no humor this chapter. Maybe from now on I'm going to sneak on my sister's laptop and do my writing there when she's not looking since her room has AC...

Naginata* - a polearm used by samurai in ancient Japan. It is frequently associated with women in battle, mostly because of Itagaki, a female samurai, who was famous for her naginata skills. This weapon is seen whenever Nadeshiko/Nagihiko Character Changes with Temari in the anime/manga.


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: **I'm having writer's block. Not good. Anyone have a good way of getting inspired easily?

**Maya: **I find it too much work to make all of them disappear together. And making them disappear adds more drama, in my opinion. (Should I even say that?) Utau...It's pretty hard to say. She's mainly acting out of guilt and denial so it really depends on your definition of brother complex. But for the most part, I say no.

**MahCandyBoo22: **I'm surprised you took it that way because that was intentional. But it was so subtle that I didn't think people would notice. xD You won't be so disgusted by it when you find out what Nadeshiko actually is. Though doesn't change the fact that Nadeshiko's personality is pretty much to the extreme.

**Half Angel Half Evil: **I wish I saw more naginatas used as a weapon instead of the standard katana in terms of ancient Japanese weapons. :/ And as for whether or not Rima will die...I won't say anything since some people are wondering if I'll give Nagihiko and Rima a Together in Death ending...

* * *

Nagihiko brought a riceball to his mouth as he took a bite. It was lunchtime. His friends sat on either side of him, chatting to each other about the events at school today. Elementary school had been pretty okay lately. He had thought he would have a difficult time due to his true gender but no one had suspected anything as of late.

"Didn't you think that jump test was hard, Nadeshiko?" one of his friends asked him, "I mean, why do they have to measure how high we jump? It's not like any of us have long legs or anything. Or can defy gravity. We're only in second grade!"

"Well, they just wanted to test our physical health," he said. They just had their physical exam today. Nagihiko remembered how much he had to hold back his true strength and speed so he could look like a normal girl.

He noticed a small girl that was sitting a couple of feet away from them. She was flipping through a manga while chewing on a small bun. A small giggle would escape her lips every now and then.

"Who's that?"

"Her? Rima Mashiro. I think she's in the classroom next to me."

"She's really nice. And funny. She always seems to know how to make everyone laugh."

Nagihiko stared at the Rima girl. Now that he thought about it, he was sure that he heard of her a few times. But it never did catch his interest.

Rima looked up, noticing him staring. Nagihiko tensed. Did she know they were talking about her?

To his surprise, she just smiled at him and went back to reading. Before he could say anything, the school bell rung, distracting him. Shaking his head, he decided to forget it and hurry back to class.

* * *

The Hinamori mansion had felt empty as of late. Nagihiko himself knew this. Ever since Kairi's disappearance, the house had been quiet and he found the other ghosts neglecting their duties while they brooded over the absence of Kairi in sadness. For him, doing his chores kept him from thinking too much about it.

He arrived at the front of the basement and knocked lightly on the door.

No. What worried him the most was Amu.

"Amu-chan? Can I come in?"

"Yes….."

Amu had been locking up herself in the basement quite often. The only time she went out was when she went to the bathroom, wanted to take a shower, or was convinced by him to go outside for a few minutes. She avoided going to school at all and he often had to bring food for her to eat since she refused to go the dining room.

Nagihiko opened the door and saw her leaning against a bookshelf. Books were everywhere. She didn't bother putting them back at the shelves. He carefully stepped over them as he sat down next to her. A tray of food was placed before her.

"Eat. You're going to starve if you don't."

"Thanks," she muttered. She brought a piece of toast to her mouth and took a bite out of it. Her golden eyes were sunken and distant, as if she was in another world and not here. Nagihiko felt as if he saw that look before. In a distant memory from the past.

"_What's your name?"_

"…_.Amu Hinamori."_

"_Do you want to be friends?"_

"_I don't feel like it."_

Nagihiko got up and picked a book off the floor, "You know, you can't stay up locked in here forever."

Amu didn't respond.

"Staying in the basement is not good for you. Eventually you have to go out and face the real world. Don't do this to yourself, Amu-chan. You're not alone. We all miss him. But we know that there's nothing we can do except move on." Nagihiko bent down and looked at her straight in the eye, "The question is: Can you?" He desperately waited for some kind of answer.

"Nagihiko…." Amu's pink bangs covered her face, "I'm sorry but….can you leave me alone for a little while?"

He sighed, "….Fine." He got up and headed towards the door. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Amu had moved from her spot against the bookshelf. Her head was now buried in her knees, rocking back and forth.

* * *

Yaya slurped noisily on her drink much to Rima's annoyance. School was over and they were walking together back home. Rima's parents were both going to be late at picking her up so she figured it was best to walk straight home since she had nothing better to do. (Though it took quite a while to convince her parents until she said that she'll have someone accompany her on the way home.)

"Amu isn't here again today, huh…" Yaya sighed, "How about we go shopping before we go to your house? Your parents aren't coming back for a while, right?"

"Just don't make us stop by some patisserie store again," Rima warned, "I have enough of sweets."

Yaya gasped, "How can anyone have enough of sweets?"

"Not all people are like you, Yaya," Rima pointed out, "You can eat fifteen slices of cake yet still stay skinny."

Yaya nodded smugly, "That's because Yaya has good metabolism!...But one time she ate so many sweets that she got cavity and the dentist had to pull the tooth out." Tears sprung up to her caramel eyes, "It was so scary…."

"You know if you keep this up you're going to get heartburn."

"Yaya never gets heartburn!" she shouted confidently.

Rima rolled her eyes, "Keep telling yourself that." At that moment, a basketball bounced into their line of view, landing on the hard concrete floor with a loud thump. She mentally groaned. Basketballs seemed to have a thing of showing up when she least expected it.

"Hey!"

They looked to their right, seeing a trio of boys waving to them. Haruto, Gorou, and Chikao. Rima recognized them as the boys who asked them about buying tickets to the basketball game. The ones she felt that she knew them somewhere before.

"Can you pass us the ball back?"

Rima stared down at the basketball, which was right before her feet. How did you throw a basketball again? She never had a strong liking for the sport, mainly because she wasn't athletic to begin with. (And her height.)

Without thinking, Rima kicked the ball with her foot, sending it flying through the air….Only for it to soon make contact with Haruto's face.

"Ah….."

"Haruto!" The two other boys cried out when he fell over backwards. Coming closer, Rima could see there were stars swirling around in his eyes.

Yaya poked his cheek, "Is he alive?"

"Hold on." Gorou placed his backpack on the ground and took a small bottle. He took off the cap and sprinkled some white powdery stuff on his hand. He held it close to Haruto's nose, allowing him to inhale the powder's smell. His eyes fluttered open and he sat up with a start, nearly knocking Gorou's hand over, almost causing all of the powder to scatter.

"Watch it!" he complained, "You almost made me waste a quarter of a bottle for nothing!"

Haruto rubbed his nose in irritation, "It's just smelling salt. No need to get worked up about it."

Gorou sniffed as he gently tilted his hands over to let the powder spill into the bottle, "You're such a horrible leader. I liked our first leader a whole lot better."

Rima looked up in interest, "First leader?"

"Yeah," said Chikao, "The first leader of Urban Street, our dancing group, was very good at basketball and dancing. When we moved to Harima, and saw there weren't a lot of good basketball courts, it was because of his passion for dancing that we thought it would be a good idea to become a dancing group. Though we still practice basketball in our spare time."

"What happened to him?"

"He just suddenly stopped hanging out with us, saying that we would probably never see him again. So we made Haruto the leader in replacement since he was the one who had the idea of becoming a group." Chikao shrugged, "Personally, I think he just wanted to give us a cool name when we really just hung out together."

Haruto scrunched his brow "No. Remember we won in a basketball match against a couple of guys who wanted our leader on their team?"

Chikao sighed in exasperation, "You're twisting the facts around. We _did _have a match against a couple of highschool guys who wanted our leader on their team. Except they asked him if he wanted to join first, and he said no, so they decided we should have a little basketball match just for fun. And they won by a small margin."

Haruto shook his head, "I can't believe we lost. I wanted a rematch, but our leader said no."

"He had a point," Chikao argued, "We were all pretty tired since they had height advantage."

"But I think you guys put up a pretty good fight," Rima suddenly blurted out. The three of them stared at her oddly, their faces filled with confusion. She froze. How did she know that? She didn't remember meeting any group of boys called: "Urban Street". So there was no way she could've been there….right?

Luckily, Yaya broke the tension by raising her hand, "Question! How old were you guys when you founded Urban Street?"

"Oh….Um….." Chikao scratched his head in thought, "I think we were still in elementary school when we founded it."

Rima frowned. She met her friend back in elementary school. And from what she could remember, he played basketball. Was it a coincidence?

"Speaking of our previous leader, do you think we should ask Nagihiko to join us? And maybe become our next leader?" Gorou suggested, "He's way better than Haruto, in my opinion."

Chikao glanced at Haruto in consideration, who was currently staring at Gorou in horror.

"How can you say that? You know I can be a good leader when I want to!" He got down on his knees, looking at Chikao with a pleading expression on his face, "Come on. Say something, Chikao. Defend me from this four-eyed idiot."

"Hey!"

"Is Nagi good at basketball and dancing?" Yaya asked.

"Well, he is….Almost like our previous leader. It's kind of scary. Now that I think about it, it's probably not a bad idea since he's almost like him….."

"What? You're abandoning me already?"

Urban Street was founded when the boys were in elementary school. Rima also met her friend while she was in elementary school and felt as if she met the trio before. Not to mention, her friend was great at basketball. Nagihiko bore some resemblance to the previous leader of Urban Street and was also good at basketball. Was it just a mere coincidence?

She shook her head. No. She needed more evidence before she could jump to that conclusion.

"So why are you guys here?" asked Gorou, "I thought you went home already."

"We're just hanging out before we go home," Yaya answered for Rima.

"Is it okay? It's kind of late. Won't your parents be worried?"

"My parents won't be home until later," Rima spoke up, "Yaya's escorting me there since my parents….are kind of overprotective." At the thought of her parents, her shoulders sagged slightly. Ever since the incident, her parents always insisted on picking her up from school every day, despite their long work hours.

However, whenever it came to who should pick her up, they would always fight over it; throwing insults at each other about why the other was such a horrible parent. If both of them had no time in their schedule to pick her up, they would tell her to have someone accompany her on the way home.

"All because I got kidnapped…" she muttered bitterly to herself. As a child, she used to curl herself up in a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible so they wouldn't notice her and bring her into the argument. As she grew older, she sought ways to distract herself and pretend that she couldn't hear their shouts.

Yaya's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "A-Anyway we'd better be going. I don't want Rima-tan's parents to worry." She took Rima's hand in her's and waved goodbye, "Bye!"

"Wait!" The shout belonged to Chikao, whose eyes were wide with realization. "You're….that girl we saved a long time ago, right?"

"….What?"

"Remember, Haruto? We were walking back home until we saw a girl being shoved into a van by two men."

Haruto nodded his head, "Yeah, and we made Gorou call the police while we chased after them. When the van finally stopped and they were going to lock her up in a warehouse, we distracted them and tried to get her away. Then the police came and arrested them."

The memory of two boys stretching out their hands to her resurfaced in Rima's mind. Though she was frightened and wary, the relief that someone was coming to save her and the knowledge that the two boys before her weren't bad people convinced her to take their hand.

Gorou scratched his head, "Man….To think that girl we saved back then was Rima Mashiro….Thankfully the police were quick at locating you guys."

Rima continued to stare at the trio blankly. She remembered the police placing handcuffs on her kidnappers as one of the officers offered to give her a ride home. She couldn't shake off the feeling of fear of facing her parents afterwards. Were they worried about her? Were they mad at her for being kidnapped? Did he know about this?

"…Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you guys save me?" she asked again, "I did nothing that may have made you guys owe me a favor. We were never close. So why?"

"Hm…" Chikao shrugged, "I guess…You can say that we did owe you something. After all, if it weren't for you, I don't think he would smile as much. But I think the main reason is because we owed him something."

"He gave us many fun days of playing basketball in the park. We're glad to be friends with him. So we did what any person would've done. And we know you'd probably wanted to be rescued ASAP."

Rima blinked, a little stunned by their response. "You say you did it for him…." Her eyes wavered slightly, a little pained, "Yet I-"

Her sentence was cut off by a drop of water landing on her hair. She looked up in surprise, seeing the sky covered with thick grey clouds. More and more drops of water started to fall, a light drizzle raining down on them.

"Shit!" Gorou swore, "I forgot it was raining today! Sorry, but we have to go home now."

"How far is your house from here, Gorou?"

"A few blocks away from here. Now let's go!" The three boys ran off in the rain, Chikao looking back at them before following suit.

Yaya bowed her head in apology, "Sorry, Rima-tan. I forgot my umbrella back at school. Can you wait here while Yaya goes to get it?"

"Sure. But be fast. My hair's getting wet." Rima hated to go through brushing every one of her locks of hair because they got stuck together by the rain.

"'Kay! Yaya will do her Super-Super Dash and be back in a jiffy!" With that, she gave her a thumbs up and ran back to the school in the rain, dashing through the puddles in her path.

"_What she really wanted to do was to splash in the puddles, huh…." _Rima thought to herself. It didn't surprise her though. Yaya had the mindset of a hyperactive child yet could be slightly mature when the situation called for it.

She took shelter under the branches of a large tree in the park. It wasn't much but it was better than waiting out in the rain. She sat down with her back against the trunk, wondering if the rain was going to stop. She remembered one time when it had rained suddenly like this. Even then, she wasn't upset by it. She was more interested in the possibility of seeing a rainbow on that day.

"_How can you be so happy all the time?"_

The voice of her friend echoed constantly in her head. She wondered what happened to her. What made her lose all motivation to have a smile on her face every day?

"_By trying to find happiness in everything you see."_

She watched the rain continue to fall. At one time, she believed happiness lurked in every little and simple thing in your life. Simple things such as eating a sweet snack after school. Little things such as a keychain hanging in the gift shop. Even on a gloomy day like this, she would find the happiness contained within the rain.

Where did that ability go? Her sight was tainted and clouded now. People told her it was probably because she was caught in the web of misery of this town, unable to escape. But she didn't think that was true. No. She was caught in her own web of her past, the strings tugging at her limbs as she took a step.

* * *

Nagihiko held his blue umbrella high over his head as he walked down the streets. Raindrops splattered against the concrete as the rain continued to fall. People walked passed him. Some with an umbrella just like him. Some soaking wet from the rain. Some running past him in a hurry to get home. He adjusted the collar of his dark long coat to make himself more comfortable.

A pair of boys up ahead was running down the sidewalk, heading for two large puddles. Nagihiko was about to call out to them, telling them to watch out. But, instead, the two boys jumped right into the puddles, laughing as their boots got soaked from rain water.

"Race you to the grocery store!"

The two boys ran off into the distance, with Nagihiko watching them go in silence. Something made his heart twinge. He wasn't sure what it was. He knew younger boys loved to fool around, too interested in their own games to notice what was going with the world just like other kids. They ran on, nothing holding them back from chasing their ambitions with their young spirited selves.

"_You must learn to properly walk, Nagihiko. It's like with dancing. Your steps must be light as a feather and as graceful as a swan."_

Nagihiko stopped before a large puddle in his path. Usually, he would step around it to avoid getting his boots wet. But the memory of how the boys jumped right into it without a care in the world was burned in his mind. He was a boy too. Yet he didn't do that.

"…Nagihiko?"

Startled, he looked up to see Rima sitting in the park, under the shelter of the tree branches. He immediately took a step back, remembering all too well the memory of what happened last time when he met Rima. He could already hear Nadeshiko's scattering thoughts echoing in his head.

But…oddly, he didn't hear them today. Nagihiko was taken aback by this. Though now that he thought about it, he hadn't been hearing Nadeshiko's thoughts lately. Even if she was present in the back of his head, she would make no comment on the current situation and stay silent.

"Hello? Nagihiko?"

The sound of Rima's voice brought him back to Earth (he found that sentence strange to his ears for some reason), "Huh? What?"

She lifted an eyebrow, "You've been staring at me with a weird look on your face. Something wrong?"

"Ah….No….It's nothing," Nagihiko insisted, flashing a smile to reassure her. Oddly, Rima flinched and quickly turned her head away. He blinked. Did he did something wrong?

"…So why are you here?" she asked, her head still turned away from him.

"Out shopping." Nagihiko took a seat next to her, "What about you?"

"Yaya was walking me home until it rained. So she went back to get her umbrella and I'm waiting for her."

An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Rima stared down at her feet, hugging her legs to her chest. Nagihiko's legs were sprawled out, his hands on either side of him, fidgeting ever so slightly. He was almost beginning to wish that Nadeshiko was here.

A mixture of emotions was starting to rise up within him. The feeling of content that she was even sitting next to him like this. The yearning for time to just slow down. A strange giddiness filled his chest, almost causing him to break out in a smile. But what struck him the oddest of all, was the overwhelming fondness he felt towards the short and distant exorcist.

He shook his head frantically. He was a ghost. A ghost feeling fondness for an exorcist was like a wild animal prowling towards the bait, unaware of the hunter hidden in the bushes ready with a gun.

"How's Amu?"

Nagihiko's head shot up sharply, "What?"

"How's Amu?" Rima repeated, "She hasn't been coming to school lately."

"Oh…..Uh….She's…..She's fine," he lied. He could hear his conscience yelling at him for not telling her the truth. Amu still kept herself locked up in the basement. If he told Rima the situation, she might be able to make Amu come back to her senses. At the same time though, he couldn't exactly say the reason why Amu was depressed.

"I see…" Even though she said that, Nagihiko could tell she wasn't entirely convinced by his response. Rima took out her cellphone and frowned, "Yaya still isn't here. It's been nearly fifteen minutes."

"Have you tried calling her?"

She pressed the call button and lifted her phone to her ear. After a few minutes passed, she sighed and let her hand drop to her side, "She isn't answering."

"Do you want me to walk you home? I can hold my shopping off until later." Rima glanced at him sharply, taken back by his suggestion.

"I can handle myself. I don't need your help." Despite her words, Nagihiko could see that she meant something else through the look in her honey-colored eyes.

"Are you sure? You'll catch a cold if you go without an umbrella."

Her shoulders tensed, as if she was considering the offer. Then she held up a finger.

"Promise."

He blinked, "Promise what?"

"Promise that you stay hidden and leave immediately when I go into the house."

Nagihiko cocked his head. Rima's request was strange. But he didn't want to let her go home in the rain with no cover. Finally, he nodded his head, "Okay. I promise." He frowned. Why did the word: "promise" felt so familiar? It gave him an odd sense of déjà vu.

Guilt briefly flashed through Rima's eyes. But it was so fleeting that Nagihiko felt as if he imagined it. The small blonde girl got up, "If you promise, then let's go."

* * *

The rain continued to fall down on the pair as they walked side by side. Nagihiko held the umbrella high over their heads, while Rima kept her eyes on the road ahead. She barely casted him a glance or even tried to start a conversation between them. But that was not frustrated Nagihiko.

What frustrated him the most was the strange compulsive urges that caused his hand to twitch ever so slightly. One would probably say he was getting horny, but Nagihiko was sure that wasn't the case. Their hands were close and would sometimes brush against each other, causing his skin to tingle with an electrical sensation.

"_Focus! I am a ghost. A dead person." _He felt a strong urge to take Rima's hand in his. To make himself feel better, he put his hand in his pocket. Nagihiko let out a sigh of relief. At least that solved the problem.

Unfortunately, Rima heard him sigh and glanced in his direction. He almost jumped, his cheeks flushed with a vivid pink. He could swear that his heart just skipped a beat. What was wrong with him? This was an _exorcist _walking right next to him. Yet he didn't feel the least bit cautious. Instead, he felt oddly relaxed and content. If he was a cat, he'd be purring by now.

"Huh?" Rima suddenly came to a stop, staring at a cart up ahead. They were approaching something like a town square, with a large water fountain in the middle. Very few people were around due to the rain. A flock of magpies near the fountain fluffed out their feathers, trying to keep warm. A few kids were lined up in front of the cart, ordering sweets. Rima stared wistfully at the melon bread the salesman handed them. A low grumble came from her stomach. Her arms immediately wrapped around her belly to muffle the sound.

"Are you hungry?" He didn't need to ask. It was quite obvious from her actions that she was.

Rima shook her head stubbornly, "No." He could see that her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment that he heard. Sighing, he took her hand and wrapped her fingers around the handle of his umbrella. So much for his initial plan to avoid touching her hands at all.

"Wait here," he ordered. She frowned but didn't argue. He walked over to the cart, dodging the little kids that were playing tag in the rain. His hair was probably going to get wet and sticky after this but he would wash it later.

"Can I get one melon bread?" he asked the man at the counter. The man nodded and went to the back of the cart. After a few minutes, he came back out holding a paper bag in his hand.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Nagihiko walked back to the waiting Rima, who was sitting on a bench sheltered by the rooftop of a shop. Her eyes brightened when she saw him approach with the paper bag in his arms. She eagerly took the bag from him and brought the melon bread to her mouth. Nagihiko took a seat beside her as he watched her chow down on the sweet bread. He was starting to think that she may not be a bad person after all. Sensing his gaze, she looked up with a glare.

"It's impolite to stare when someone's eating you know."

"Sorry," he apologized. He shifted his focus on to the sky, still painted a dark shade of grey. But he wasn't thinking about the rain. He was wondering how Kairi was doing up there. Was heaven wonderful as people made it out to be? Does it even exist?

His thoughts went back to the lonely figure of Amu in the basement. In all movies and books, when someone died, it was said that he or she would always be watching over their loved ones even from another world. Yet why wasn't Amu recovering? Then again, it was her problem to fix. But still, why couldn't Kairi, like in all books and movies, reach out to her and tell her to move on?

"I…" Nagihiko turned his attention back to Rima, who was wiping the crumbs from her mouth with a napkin, "I've always liked to eat melon bread. Whether or not it was the plain kind or the one with chocolate chips. Did you know?"

He raised an eyebrow, "No…" What was she trying to say? A pain-inducing headache throbbed in his temple. When she turned around, her eyes bore into his, serious. He realized that she was testing him, trying to make him search the depths of his mind for the memories he lost long ago.

After a few long minutes, she sighed, "Never mind." Surprise filled her face when she noticed the sky, "It stopped raining."

The sky was starting to clear up, the clouds parting for a ray of sunshine. Dewdrops shone brightly in the sunlight as the rain continued to fade. The sight, in a way, was astounding.

"Nagihiko."

"Hm?"

"What is the happiness you can find in the rain?"

"Happiness…Let's see…It's through a rainbow, right?" Nagihiko guessed. He figured it was the obvious answer since rainbows were a rare yet pretty sight to see after a rainy day.

"You can say that." Rima's eyes kept staring forward, never once glancing to his side, "Seeing a rainbow after a heavy rainfall is always refreshing. A glimmer of hope in a gloomy day. When you listen to the raindrops fall, you can't hear anything else. It drowns out your own thoughts. Even though it falls down hard, everything eventually becomes transparent. It's no longer complicated. You can finally see through it." Her hands were clenched together so tightly that Nagihiko could see the whites of her knuckles.

"Rima-chan….?"

She remained silent, a shadow passing over her face. The only thing that broke the silence was the distant laughter of two children near the water fountain. A boy playfully kicked rainwater at a girl, causing her to shout in surprise when it splashed near her boots. In retaliation, she kicked some back, but the boy dodged by jumping away. The two continued the game of splashing rainwater from nearby puddles until their parents called them over.

Nagihiko wondered what Rima was trying to tell him. A burning question on her mind that she couldn't form words to. All this time, she was setting him up for something, testing him. But could he, a ghost with no memories, answer this question?

"Rima-tan!"

The familiar sound of Yaya's childish voice echoed across the square, catching Rima's attention. Nagihiko noticed how her shoulders relaxed in relief that she was distracted from whatever she was thinking about.

"You're slow," she complained to the panting caramel-haired girl.

"When Yaya went to get her umbrella, she saw this pastry store and heard they had the best strawberry shortcakes and…yeah…" She trailed off, knowing that it wasn't that hard to figure out what happened next. Then she noticed Nagihiko, watching them from afar, "Eh? Nagi? What are you doing here?"

"I ran into Rima-chan and was just escorting her home," he replied.

"Oh…Well, Yaya will take Rima-tan home with her now! Unless Rima-tan prefers having Nagi take her there." A long silence passed as both Yaya and Nagihiko looked at Rima expectantly. Nagihiko wasn't sure what he would say if Rima said: "yes". He couldn't argue against her decision. Yet he found himself a little bit anxious. Was he anxious because he was nervous of spending another agonizing moment with the exorcist or was he anxious because he was actually starting to enjoy her company?

He shook his head. What was he thinking? Sure, Rima may not be a bad person he thought her out to be, but he was a ghost. He was supposedly here to get rid of his last regrets. But he felt as if he was taking advantage of her for his own happiness. He felt as if he was going against his previous ideals, by spending time with her.

"It's okay," he interupted them swiftly, "I have something else to do anyway."

Yaya nodded in understanding, "Okay! Bye, Nagi!"

He held up his hand in farewell, "Bye, Yaya-chan. Rima-chan."

Rima directed her stare to him. Her facial expression remained blank and her mouth was set in a straight line. Nagihiko wondered what she was thinking right now. Did she really care about if he took her home or not? Reminding himself that he still had shopping to do, he turned away and started to leave.

"Bye, Nagihiko. And thanks...for today."

Her voice was quiet, barely audible, but Nagihiko heard her clearly. A part of him inside that felt a little sad about leaving before now felt relief and warmth. At least he knew that she appreciated him helping her out. Another feeling of déjà vu overcame his senses. He was familiar with these emotions storming inside him. Wishing that time would've just slowed down so they could spend more time together. Was it a selfish wish or was it just natural in regards to human nature?

His thoughts went back to what Rima's question. The happiness hidden within the rain. A rainbow was the perfect fit for it. A colorful arch of light that seemingly lead the way to hope. But what if there was no rainbow at all? What would be the only thing left after the rain ends?

_"Then the only thing left is the moist aftertaste," _he thought sadly.

* * *

Amu's eyes fluttered open to be greeted with the sight of a stack of books before her face. Groaning, she sat up, rubbing her head in pain. She vaguely remembered eating breakfast and then going back to searching through the books in the basement. Books covered every inch of the cement floor, making the basement looking more crowded than it already was.

She glanced at her reflection in the small mirror across the room. Her pink hair stuck out on every end and there were bags under her golden eyes. The breakfast tray that Nagihiko brought her was already gone. One of the ghosts must've come down and taken it while she was asleep.

Three days. She had been in this basement for three days. Her limbs all felt stiff as she stretched them out. Three days. And she had not yet found information on what happened to ghosts who disappeared. Enough information to satisfy her that is.

What else could she do now? She had looked through almost every book in this damn basement. Yet none of the stuff they told her satisfied her.

Kairi. Kairi was gone. The sentence still felt so foreign on her tongue as she tried to mouth the words to herself. Should she listen to Nagihiko? She couldn't keep doing this to herself. But her emotions were jumbled up. She felt anger, sadness, shock, and confusion. Angry at herself, sadness over Kairi's disappearance, shock from what she was doing to herself, and confused on what should she do.

Her hand reached out blindly to her side, her fingers clasping the spine of a book. She pulled it out, ignoring the sounds of books falling to the floor as she looked down at the cover.

The title read: _Death Back to Life?_. Odd. She didn't remember seeing this book before. Then again, it was probably hidden by all of the books she pulled out. Interested, she flipped to the first page, once again greeted with the sight of highlighted passages and little scribbles here and there.

_"**Resurrection is a very complicated process that dates back many years ago. **It was mainly **used for necromancy**, to keep in touch with the dead. Resurrection shows up many times in pieces of literature when the main character attempts to bring back a loved one. While resurrection has been mostly dismissed as nigh impossible, there have been **several cases** where a dead person was resurrected successfully. One report was that a deceased son suddenly showed up at his parents' house and reunited with them. While officials say that the son was never dead and was only missing, many suspect that he was resurrected back to life by his parents. Another case was when a doctor resurrected a patient who was formerly dead from a brain tumor. Said patient was reported to be perfectly healthy, in no ill condition whatsoever."_

Amu stared at the page for what seemed like an eternity, an idea slowly forming in her head. This was her answer. Her solution to all of her problems. Her salvation. Kairi was dead. And resurrection could possibly bring him back.

She stood up, her eyes filled with determination. Her resolve was made. She'll do anything possible to make this turn out a success.

* * *

**A/N: **The final parts of the chapter was written on whim when I was trying to get over my writer's block so constructive criticism and pointing out any grammar mistakes is greatly appreciated.


	50. Chapter 50

Students filed into the classroom when the bell rang. Nagihiko glanced around in interest, not entirely unsettled by the new environment like the other students. He noticed a girl sitting in the back of the room, looking out the window. Her hand was placed casually under her chin, her golden eyes seemingly bored as they stared blankly at the world outside. Her uniform stood out from the others, complete with a red armband and a silver belt around the waist. She was the perfect image of a gothic punk girl. The other students noticed her as well, whispering to each other.

"Who is she?"

"She's so cool!"

"Where did she get her clothes?"

Those were not the kind of thoughts running through Nagihiko's mind. From the attitude that she gave off, she reminded him of someone. Someone who he long ago lost, and was probably still tries to recover from her wounds of that terrible day.

Shrugging off the sadness that threatened to plague his thoughts, he walked over to the girl.

"Hello," he said in a high-pitched, feminine voice, "I'm Nadeshiko Fujisaki. What's your name?"

The girl glanced in his direction, a bit taken back. He guessed that she didn't think anyone would come up and talk to her.

"….Amu. Amu Hinamori."

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

Amu shook her head. Nagihiko sat down and saw that she directed her attention back to the window. He didn't know why he felt the urge to talk to her. Even though she reminded him of _her_, it didn't change the fact that he failed. He was unable to chase away the sadness and hurt that she faced.

But it didn't erase his desire to be needed by someone. To be able to know that someone could rely on him. What could he, a boy who crossdressed for most of his life, accomplish?

* * *

Ikuto frowned, setting his bow against the strings of his violin. He was deep in thought, eyes closed, trying to let the music come to him as he played. After a few long minutes, he sighed in exasperation and placed his violin back in its case.

There was this certain music piece that he wanted to play. But it was somewhere lost with his memories, and he couldn't recall it back no matter how hard he tried. It frustrated him. He had the memory of how to play the violin but not his history with it. He had no idea where his violin came from, and many of the music pieces he knew just came to him whenever he sat down to play his violin. Maybe it only worked during certain times, but not today.

"Ikuto!"

The sound of Amu's voice made him look up in surprise. The pinkette walked over to him, her cross hairclips bouncing in her hair as she took a step.

Like the others, Ikuto was concerned about Amu's behavior ever since Kairi's disappearance. Except, he didn't do anything about it. He wasn't the comforter type. And he knew while loss could be painful and heartbreaking, he believed that it was simply best just to shrug it off and pretend that it had never happened. He wasn't sure if his way of thinking could be applied to Amu's depression as of right now.

"Did you guys clean out the fireplace?"

"Uh…." He struggled to remember, "No. We don't use the fireplace until winter usually."

"Okay. Thanks." She went into the living room without another word. Ikuto watched her go in suspicion. This wasn't like Amu. He could sense that something was wrong with her. Did that also had something to do with her depression over Kairi's disappearance?

"Nagihiko!" Kukai greeted his friend at the door with a handshake and a slap on the back, "Did you get everything we needed?"

Nagihiko handed him the shopping bags while he put away his umbrella, "See for yourself." Kukai looked inside the bags, checking to see if everything on the shopping list was in there.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where's my sports magazine?"

The long-haired boy shrugged lightly, "There wasn't enough money for it."

"That can't be! I'm sure Tsukasa gave enough money for it!"

"It must've been your imagination."

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. He was there when Tsukasa handed Nagihiko the shopping money. 3000 yen in total. There should've been enough to buy a sports magazine. It wasn't like Nagihiko to spend money on his own impulses.

"Is there any change left?" Tadase asked him.

"Only 300 yen left. I spent 2000 yen on the stuff on the shopping list."

"So you should have 1000 yen left…That's still enough money to buy my sports magazine."

Nagihiko held up his hands in surrender, "Alright. You got me. I didn't buy your sports magazine, Kukai. In fact, the main reason why is because…." His facial expression suddenly shifted to one of annoyance, amber eyes flashing with anger, "…I got mugged. I was at the counter, ready to buy your sports magazine until he came. I didn't suspect it. He snuck up behind me without warning and snatched the remaining 1000 yen out of my hands." The anger in his eyes melted away, replaced with a sigh of defeat, "I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. I couldn't catch up with him. I had to-"

Tadase stopped him before he could finish, "Wait a minute. _You _couldn't catch up with him, Nagihiko? We're ghosts, remember? Along with being given the appearance of a human, we're granted superhuman skills and a bunch of other powers. The only thing that would make a possible match for us is a cheetah. Which I doubt was the speed your mugger was running at."

He paused for a moment, his face reading surprise. Then he continued to speak, "Oh….Right. What I meant to say was that the mugger stopped me from taking back my money because he threatened to take Rima-chan's life and…" He trailed off, taken back by his sudden mention of the exorcist as were the others. Meanwhile, Ikuto was calculating something in his head.

Missing 1000 yen + Not buying Kukai's sports magazine + Random mention of Rima Mashiro = …..?

He gave up. Nope. This just did not compute.

"When did Mashiro had anything to do with this?" asked Kukai.

Nagihiko was now sweating bullets, "Uh….I…was…well…um…." He kept stumbling over his words; unable to form a complete sentence no matter hard he tried. "I….kind of….ran into her while I was shopping….Ehehehe…." His nervous chuckle echoed loudly in the silent hallway of the Hinamori mansion.

Kukai and Tadase closed in on him, interested, "And what happened next?"

"We…..We….um….." Ikuto could sense strong vibes of desperation coming from Nagihiko.

Suddenly, the stomping of Ami's feet cut the silence of the room and saved Nagihiko from any further interrogation. Ami took a seat against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. Her bottom lip was sticking out in a pout and it was obvious she was irritated over something.

"What happened, Ami?" Tadase bent down to make eye contact, his voice dropping into a soft whisper.

"Sis is a meanie."

"What?" the ghosts all asked in unison.

"I wanted Sis to come with me to go shopping this afternoon but she said no," Ami explained.

"Can't you ask your female friends?"

"They're all busy."

Even though none of them said anything, you could hear a collective sigh escape the ghosts' lips. Ami continued to stare in their direction, her eyes starting to tear up. When all of them looked at each other for a solution, Ikuto immediately shrugged in response.

"Count me out. I hate shopping trips."

"Then Tadase? Ami-chan does like you after all," suggested Nagihiko.

"I don't really mind….But I have chores to tend to." At those words, Tadase glanced to the window in the living room, where you could see the flowers blossoming at the front of the mansion.

"Can't you just leave those chores to us?"

"The last time I did that Kukai started to play around with the hose, Nagihiko confused the plant food with the fertilizer, and Ikutonii-san just gave up in the middle of it."

"There was too much to do," Ikuto stated in defense.

Tadase sighed, "Isn't there any chore that you don't consider much to do?"

"So that means it's either me or Nagihiko…." Kukai muttered in thought. Then he nodded his head once he came to a decision, "Yep. Definitely Nagihiko."

He sweatdropped, "How come I'm not even surprised that you said that?"

"It's called payback. For not buying my sports magazine. And hey, I can't stand shopping trips either. I don't understand why girls complain if the clothes don't match or don't look cute on them or whatever. It fits. That's all that matters. Besides, you have a girl's intuition."

"What is that even suppose to mean?"

"I mean, you can….um….understand things from a girl's point of view. You know? That kind of thing."

"…Forget it. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you." Nagihiko turned to Ami, "What do you think, Ami-chan? Who do you want to go with?"

She raised her hand, "I wanna go with long-haired Onii-chan!"

Kukai wrapped an arm around Nagihiko's shoulders, "See? It works out perfectly."

_"Good luck, girly boy," _Ikuto thought as Nagihiko finally agreed with some reluctance.

* * *

"Amu-chi's back at school! Did you hear?"

Yaya shouted this into Rima's ear, causing her to draw back in order to protect her precious eardrums.

"Can you stop that?" she said in annoyance, "I'm going to go deaf soon."

Yaya laughed, "Sorry, sorry. Yaya's just excited. Amu-chi had been absent for almost four days. And now she's back in school again! Don't you feel the same, Rima-tan?"

"I don't know….Don't you think it's a little suspicious?"

The twintailed brunette tilted her head, "Eh?"

"If she skipped out on school for almost four days that means something happened to her. And now she's back in school. Isn't it a little too sudden? I know you're happy, and I'm happy too. But I can't help but feel that something's fishy here."

"Rima-tan…." Yaya knew she couldn't say anything that would drive away Rima's suspicions. She glanced at the time on her cellphone. It read 12:20. Amu was late. Usually they would meet up at 12:05 to eat lunch. Maybe Amu forgot?

A couple of girls Yaya recognized from Amu's class came into the yard in the back of the school. She got up and went over to talk to them.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Amu-chi is? We were supposed to meet her here."

"You mean Hinamori-san? I think I saw her go into the library."

"Ok. Thanks." Yaya turned to Rima, who immediately knew what she wanted to do.

She sighed, "Fine. I still don't like this though."

* * *

A few minutes later they were in the school's library. Like any regular library, it was quiet and had the feeling of serenity and calmness about it. Bookcases were lined up next to each with several wooden tables placed in front of them. The taller bookcases were lined up against the wall while the shorter ones were next to the tables where the students could sit. In the back of the room, were rows of computers and desks. A certain girl with bright pink hair tied up in a ponytail sat in front of one of the computers. Her golden eyes shone as sunlight filled the room, broken into multiple beams by the shutters on the window.

"Amu-chi!" Yaya greeted her from the entrance. The librarian, who was shuffling through a couple of papers on the front desk, glared at her. She clasped her hands over her mouth, remembering that one of the library policies was to be quiet. Rima shook her head. Some things never changed. Amu turned to face them, her face reading surprise.

"You guys!" She briefly clicked something on her computer and got up. "What are you doing here?"

"We usually have lunch together, remember?" Amu seemed to freeze, her unusually wide smile faltering for a bit.

"Oh….Actually, I had a paper to work on…." Her eyes flickered over to the computer screen, "On…..Ocean waves! Yeah! Ocean waves!" She nodded her head deeply, crossing her arms over her chest, "It's really frustrating. I don't know what my science teacher was thinking."

Yaya pouted, "Awwwww~! But Yaya really wanted to eat with Amu-chi though!" She looked at her short blonde friend, "Should we go back, Rima-tan?"

Rima didn't hear her. She was too busy staring at the computer screen. She noticed there was another window at the bar below. The window read: "Steps to Resurrect…"

A shiver went up Rima's spine. Why was Amu interested in that? She couldn't be possibly thinking of resurrecting someone from the dead, could she? Rima knew well what happened when you resurrect someone. The memory of her energy draining away and a large, dark mass appearing before her flashed through her mind.

"Amu-"

"Anyway, I'm really sorry but I can't make it today," Amu apologized, "I'll make it up to you some other time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Yay! Amu-chi promised!" Yaya looked up at the clock, "Ah! There's only ten minutes left until lunch period!" She grabbed Rima by the wrist and ran off, "See you later!"

Amu waved goodbye as Rima was being rushed out the door. The last thing she saw was Amu's hand dropping limp to her side, the edges of her smile drooping ever so slightly.

* * *

Nagihiko groaned loudly as he brought his hand to his forehead. He lifted up his sunglasses off the bridge of his nose to take at look at what was going on.

Visible heat waves could be seen as he and Ami walked down the street. They were very few people around, some even fanning themselves with the morning newspaper to cool down. Ami brought a tissue out of her bag and dabbed it at her neck. He could tell that she was sweating badly.

His hand reached out blindly for a sign post, his head swimming. He could barely think straight. Ami's hand lightly touched his shoulder out of concern.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…." Nagihiko stood upright again, and to his surprise, saw flames engulfing the sidewalk in front of him. He jumped back in fear. Bright orange sparks flickered from the fire, landing onto the hard cement below. Rubbing his eyes once, twice, he looked again to see if the fire was still there. It was gone. The only thing there was a fire hydrant, a mailbox, and a street light.

"_Great. I'm hallucinating."_ The heat was really getting to him. He wished that ghosts had the ability to sweat. Nagihiko was wearing a white tank top and an unbuttoned black vest, for his usual attire was too warm for this kind of weather. He reached into the pocket of his black pants, pulling out a small hairband. Nagihiko took his purple hair and tied it up into a ponytail. He let out a sigh when his neck was relieved of the warmth from his long locks of hair. That was better.

"Did you notice Sis has been acting weird since yesterday?"

Ami's pigtails bobbed in her head as she walked; her facial expression unreadable.

"You mean ever since Kairi disappeared?"

She shook her head, "I don't mean that. I mean like today. She's acting weird."

"That's true…." He was surprised when Amu went up to him and the ghosts, telling them that she would be going back to school today. Nagihiko didn't think Amu would make such a fast recovery. "She only went back to school today so she wouldn't worry us."

"You know that Sis met Kairi before right? When they were kids."

"I know." He heard from Ikuto.

"After Kairi died, she started to act different. She talked less, and spent more time alone in her room. But no one thought it was weird. They thought it was just natural, because she looked like that type of character. Mama tried to talk her out of it, but she kept saying that it was fine."

Nagihiko could imagine Amu with an aloof expression on her face, acting like she didn't had a care in the world.

Ami fiddled with the strap of her bag, "She completely changed. And eventually, Sis forgot all about Kairi. She kept acting like that until middle school."

"What happened in middle school?"

"She made a friend. I remember her. She was really nice. Even though Sis said she didn't like her at first, her friend managed to make Sis smile again."

"Ami-chan."

"Hm?"

They came to a stop, the sun shining down harshly on them.

"Did you know from the beginning that Kairi was Amu-chan's friend?"

"Yes."

Ami stared straight into his amber eyes, unblinkingly. For a second, Nagihiko thought there was a strong knowledge she was hiding in her pale golden eyes.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

She shrugged, "If I did, she wouldn't have remembered anyway. Besides, she didn't trust you guys, right? I wasn't sure what would happen if I told her that a ghost in the house was her childhood friend."

"Is there anything else you're hiding from her?"

"I'm not really hiding anything from her. More like, I'm hiding something from you guys."

"What do you mean?" Nagihiko had a feeling her answer to that question was the key to his past, and all of the other ghosts' as well.

"You all know her. And she all knows you. Regardless of whatever relationships they were, you all meant something to Sis. And because of that, Sis is starting to treat you guys more like humans."

"_But I'm not," _he thought, _"Because I will disappear. No matter how soon it may come, I will disappear. I'm not meant to be in this world. My existence had already vanished since the day I died."_

"Anything else you're hiding from us?"

"There's more, but I don't think you need to know them." Her tone suddenly changed, voice filled with delight, "There it is!" Without waiting for him, she rushed towards the clothing store ahead. Nagihiko quickly went after her, but then stopped again, startled by the cool air flowing out of the store's door. He took in a deep breath. It felt like heaven.

Ami was checking a rack of shirts, looking for one that would suit to her tastes. Nagihiko put away his sunglasses, no longer having the need to protect his eyes from the sun. He leaned his back against a wall. He was so relieved to be out of heat. He looked to his left, noticing a tall mirror by a rack of jeans. He expected to see Nadeshiko, but like yesterday, she wasn't there.

For the first time, he noticed something about himself he did not notice before. He remembered Kukai sometimes teasing him that whenever he tied his hair up in a ponytail, he looked more like a girl. But that remark didn't strike him oddly until now.

If it weren't for the fact of his slightly muscular build, he looked exactly like Nadeshiko with his hair up in a ponytail. He knew the two of them shared the same eye and hair color but he mainly shrugged it off as a scary coincidence. If he didn't know better, he would've thought that Nadeshiko was his long-lost twin.

He paused. Was she? Nadeshiko never did reveal her true identity to him. The only thing she told him was that she was sent by the Phantom Lord to keep an eye on him. Then again, he didn't have enough of his past memories in order to confirm that theory.

* * *

Rima held up a skirt to her waist, examining herself in the mirror. Shaking her head, she placed the skirt back on the rack. It always took her parents twenty minutes to get to her school and pick her up. She always used half of that time to wander around the shopping district, looking for something to do that would distract her from the incoming tension waiting at home.

"Who is he?"

"He's so hot!"

"Really? I didn't know you like the bishonen* type."

"If they have some masculine traits, then yeah."

A group of girls were whispering to each other behind a tall rack of sweaters. They were looking in the direction of a boy dressed in black and white clothing. His black vest covered his wide shoulders, but that didn't stop from his white tank top revealing his biceps and part of his chest.

Upon seeing the purple hair and the slender shape of his face, Rima immediately recognized him as Nagihiko, one of the servants to the Hinamori household. For some reason, she didn't like how the girls kept stealing glances at the long-haired boy. A small wave of irritation surged through her.

One of the girls in the group frowned when she looked at him, "I don't think he's that great. He looks too much like a girl to me."

Rima had to stifle a giggle when she heard that. She found that statement amusing oddly. Though she had to admit, it was true. With his hair tied up in a ponytail, it just made him look more like a girl.

"That's only because you're into the strong masculine types."

"Yeah. The more adrenaline, the more you like it," another girl teased.

"I guess that's true." Their laughter rang across the store, causing some of the customers to look up from their shopping. As the conversation started to steer into a different topic, Rima walked closer to Nagihiko, who was now trying out a brown hat and checking himself in the mirror. His eyebrows scrunched together and he shook his head in dissatisfaction. Just when he was about to place the hat back in its shelf, he noticed her reflection in the mirror, her eyes meeting his.

A few minutes passed like this. Nagihiko was the first to regain his composure.

"Rima-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Her right hand instinctively reached for her left hand, which was the one brushing against Nagihiko's right hand yesterday. She remembered when Nagihiko took her hand to give her his umbrella. She didn't expect his hand to be so smooth. Or so cold.

"I'm out shopping with Ami-chan, Amu-chan's sister."

"How is she?"

He paused for a moment, then he spoke again, his tone innocent, "Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about." She didn't mean to sound nosy, but the knowledge of what Amu was actually looking up made her stomach churn with uneasiness.

"Honestly, I don't know any better than you do." The look in his amber eyes became more solemn, sad almost, "I wish I did though."

So he didn't know about the resurrection thing. That only made Rima more worried. But why would Amu be looking up resurrection in the first place…?

"So you're here shopping too?" She could tell that he was trying to change the subject.

"Kind of. Were you looking for something?"

"I don't know…" He looked back at the mirror, "I feel like there's something missing."

Rima raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

He shook his head, "It's like…something's not there." Nagihiko started scanning through the shelves, looking for some kind of accessory that satisfied him.

She wasn't that surprised to see him that fussy over clothes. It was obvious through the way he dressed and he just seemed to be that type. He would probably rival every female fashion model out there.

"Do you do this often? Going shopping?" Rima remembered that she never saw Amu's servants often in the shopping district of Harima. She thought with Nagihiko's apparent strong interest in clothes, she would see him more often.

"Not really. Most of time I went out shopping for groceries and stuff like that. Same for the others. Though we do sometimes do go out shopping for other stuff with Amu-chan. I usually help Amu-chan pick out the casual stuff we wear since she doesn't want anyone in town find out she has servants."

Rima giggled. That sounded like something Amu would say.

"We used to never go out in public like that. We had to-"He stopped himself, realizing that he said too much.

"What do you mean?" By this point, her suspicions were ready to piece themselves together, giving the answer to the mysterious events that had been happening lately.

"I….Um….Uh…..I-It's nothing! Forget about it!" He was about to walk away until Rima blocked his path.

"No. I won't. Now tell me what's going on right now," she demanded. If he answered her, then she would be able to find out what was wrong with Amu. And possibly save her.

"It's….It's complicated."

"Do you trust me?" The question slipped out of her mouth before she knew it. "Is it because you think you can't trust me?" A part of her didn't want to hear him answer. In fear of him saying "no".

Nagihiko was taken aback by her question, staring at her, stunned. He bit his lip, "I….It's not that I think that you're a bad person. I do trust you. I don't think you would tell anyone anyway." He looked around, "I can't tell you here though. We need to go somewhere less crowded."

A sense of relief washed over Rima. She already had a sense of what he was going to tell her. But she wanted to be sure.

She didn't had time to relax however as she was immediately assaulted by some large cannonball that reeked of too much make-up and perfume. From the way the cannonball's pudgy arms wrapped around her and how the cannonball had trouble balancing itself probably because of high heels, Rima could instantly tell that it was Nobuko Saeki.

"It's horrible! It's horrible, I tell you!" she wailed, "He came into my shop and demanded for information about you! And he was threatening me too! I'm too young to die!"

This was coming from an old woman whose age could not be covered up no matter how much make-up she put on.

"I still have many years of success left for me! Variety shows, movies, interviews, radio talk shows…." Nobuko looked up and gasped when she saw Nagihiko, "You! Get away from me!" She cowered behind Rima, which was hard to do because of her small height.

He blinked, "Who are you….?"

"Don't play dumb with me! You're just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make me spill my guts by having this girl as your hostage!"

Rima released herself from her grip, "Have all that sixth sense made you crazy? Nagihiko's been here this whole time. There's no way he could've attacked you at your store."

Nobuko took a small towel and wiped her spectacles, taking a better look at the bewildered teenager, "Hmm…You seem to have a different aura than the boy at the store. Good enough. Sorry for suspecting you." She straightened her back, "Though I feel like I've seen you before. Like on TV. But that was the same feeling with the boy. Except you feel more…._real_, to say the least. Have I interviewed you before? I had to cooperate with a lot of celebrities in my variety show."

Rima tapped her foot impatiently, "Can you stop rambling and tell us why you're here?"

"Oh right. I forgot about that." Nobuko whirled around to face her, "You better stay on your toes and be on the lookout. You have some crazy…._thing_ on your tail that needs a desperate trip to the mental ward. I suggest you-"She suddenly gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth in fear.

"What's wrong?"

"He….He…."

"He?"

"H-He's here!" she screamed as she ducked behind a shelf of bags. Both Rima and Nagihiko looked in the direction of the front door, which was wide open, letting in the hot, stiff air from outside. A girl that bore a strong resemblance to Nagihiko stood in front of the door. She took in her surroundings, checking to see if there was anyone hiding behind the racks. When her gaze met theirs, her amber eyes were filled with tranquil yet burning rage as she glared at the pair.

Nagihiko shivered, "Nadeshiko…."

'Nadeshiko' responded by flinging something in their direction, knocking several clothing racks over in its path. Before Rima knew what was going on, Nagihiko immediately pushed her out of harm's way, the projectile narrowly missing them by a few inches, cutting off the hairband that held up Nagihiko's long hair.

The naginata's blade stuck embedded in the marble tile floor of the store. Nadeshiko, who now looked even more furious, raised her hand, her weapon shaking slightly as she did so.

"Run!" The two got up to their feet and ran just in time as the polearm swung back and forth, trying to slice them in half. Everyone screamed while Nadeshiko's weapon continued to chase after them, knocking over clothes, bags, and accessories that were in the way. Rima's heart pounded loudly in her ears. She wasn't going to last much longer. They needed a plan.

"Let's split up," Nagihiko suggested, "She's after both of us. I'll sneak up from behind her and you attack." Rima nodded. It sounded like a good plan. They were approaching two paths. A large sign hung overhead, telling what section they lead to. One lead to the shoes section and another lead to the jewelry section. Rima took off for the jewelry section, Nagihiko heading for the shoes section. Nadeshiko frowned. After a few seconds of hesitation, the naginata headed for Rima, flying through the air like a missle.

The jewelry section had dozens of glass cases displaying necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, and anklets. The workers behind the counters ducked as the naginata flew through the air with a sharp whistle. Bright lights shone from above and within the glass cases. The naginata's blade glistened in the light, as did the jewelry and other accessories in the room. Rima found that she had nothing to cover her. The glass would expose wherever she was hiding and the shards will double the damage she'll receive if she got sliced down by Nadeshiko's weapon. There was only one other choice.

A girl wearing flipflops was among the customers running in panic once they saw the naginata chasing Rima. She tripped and fell on the floor, one of her flipflops flying right off her foot. It was during that moment the naginata decided to take down Rima by swinging around in a wide swoop. A screech sounded as the blade scratched against the glass case, coming down on the girl as Rima ducked.

Seeing that she was in danger, Rima went in front of her, creating a magical shield to block the incoming weapon. Runes spun around in rings as she struggled to hold up against it. With a small grunt, she sent the naginata flying back as it broke one glass case displaying a couple of hoop earrings. Panting, she turned around and offered to give the girl her hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Then she paused. The girl looked oddly familiar. A vague picture of a group of girls stomping at her hands surfaced. Her hands were starting to sting from the memory. The girl stared at her with fear in her eyes, slowly backing away. Without saying a word, she broke into a run, forgetting her flipflop which now lay beside shards of glass.

Rima turned her head to check where the naginata was. There was a long curved line on top of the glass case containing gold and silver necklaces that looked like they were exported from foreign countries. She froze. It wasn't there. She looked around wildly for any sign of the polearm. But it had vanished. Nowhere to be seen.

A shadow fell over her from behind. A creepy sensation went up her spine. Slowly turning around, she found herself face to face with a half-emerged Nadeshiko from the surface of a glass shelf. She was holding the naginata out, ready to impale straight in her chest. Rima couldn't move. Her legs had turned into jelly and she was shuddering uncontrollably. Nadeshiko reminded her all too well of the dark black mass she unintentionally created. Arms outstretched, eyes boring into hers with an intense stare, its lips curved upwards into a creepy smile. The monster she created with her own hands.

Blood splattered on her face. Rima wondered why she wasn't feeling any pain. She felt someone's warmth pressed against her, as if forming a shield that would protect her from any danger.

Her honey-colored eyes met with a pair of amber ones, but it wasn't Nadeshiko's. Instead, they were filled with concern, silently asking her if she was okay. Then the eyes squeezed shut in pain, the person staggering forward. Rima caught him just in the time, his forehead landing right on her shoulder.

"….Nagihiko?"

His purple bangs fell over his face, covering the pain that was evident on his face. He was so close that she could touch him. The naginata's blade protruded from his stomach, drops of his blood sliding across the metallic sharp edge. Rima's stomach churned with nausea. But it was soon overpowered by a great concern for him as he leaned his weight against her's with difficulty.

"You idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"It's not going to kill him. He's not even human anyway." Nadeshiko was standing to the side, eyeing Nagihiko with a look that resembled great disdain, "But I would never have thought he would jump in to save you. Very chivalrous of him." She came closer, the sounds of her footsteps echoing loudly throughout the room. Rima stood her ground, ready to attack if she made a single move. "I was wrong. I thought I should've been mad and be seeking for my revenge; however, it is _you_ who is truly the one that deserves my entire wrath."

"What….are you….talking…about?" Even though the sound was muffled, Nagihiko's voice was still loud enough for Nadeshiko to hear.

"Don't play dumb with me. After all, we say share a mental link, don't we? Even if we're far apart, I can read your every single thought," Nadeshiko said in a sweet, sugary voice, her amber eyes still calm and solemn…which only served to make the situation even more scarier. Nagihiko seemed to understand what she was implying at, his ears glowing bright red.

Rima's body tensed as Nadeshiko gradually came closer and closer, who was walking with slow, even steps. "I just can't simply let that pass. After all, you know what Mom used to say: 'Naughty children should be punished'. Though in my case, I won't punish you as lightly as she did."

"Don't bring my family into this," Nagihiko growled. His words made Nadeshiko stop, causing Rima to wonder if he said that on purpose so he could stall her.

"Oh? Did I step on a nerve? Well it is true, you know. Mom never did like it when you arrived late for practice. Tsk, tsk. Tardiness is never a good thing, Nagihiko." She giggled, as if she found something amusing with that statement.

"…Is anyone around?"

"What?" Rima whispered to Nagihiko.

"I said, is anyone around?" She shook her head. Everyone in the jewelry room left in a panic including the employees.

"Good. The last thing I want is public uproar." He reached towards his back, gripping the handle of the naginata, "I want you to distract her. It's going to take me a few minutes for me to heal."

She was confused, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see." Drops of blood fell to the ground as Nagihiko pulled the naginata straight out from his back. Rima could see the bloody wound on the side of his stomach that was dripping with blood even after he pulled the weapon out. Seeing this, Nadeshiko ran forward with a burst of speed, knocking Nagihiko aside to take back her naginata. Wasting no time at all, she swung around to attack him again but Rima intervened just in time. The naginata's blade bounced off the barrier she created.

"Very nice, Rima-chan. But you need to do better than that." Nadeshiko swung her weapon again, but failed to break the barrier. With each swing however, the force sent Rima closer to the row of glass cases, leaving her no escape. She briefly looked to see how Nagihiko was doing. But the spot on the floor where he was previously was empty. The only thing left was a puddle of blood.

A bright flash of light came from some corner of the room. With barely any time for Nadeshiko to turn around to see what it was, a blue sphere of energy shot right at her, surrounding her in a cocoon of blue electrical sparks. She didn't even scream in pain. Her movements were suspended, as if this was a movie and someone had pressed the pause button on the remote control.

"Rima-chan! Now!" Nagihiko was behind Nadeshiko, panting. The wound on his stomach had vanished. The only evidence that it had been there at all was the bloody hole on his shirt formed by the blade of the naginata.

Gathering all of her concentration, three rings of spiraling runes appeared. They flew straight through the air, aiming for Nadeshiko. But due to Rima's exhaustion, the course of the three rune rings was a little off. One sliced off the hairband that tied up her hair. Another missed entirely. And the last one managed to create a cut both on her dress and shoulder. The cut on her shoulder was bleeding, but it wasn't the regular red type of blood. A strange black, tar-like substance was oozing out of the cut, the substance just flailing in the air instead of dripping down. The collar line of her dress slipped off, revealing her surprisingly flat chest. Her hair fell pass her shoulders, reaching slightly past her waist.

She looked like an exact copy of Nagihiko. Except the only difference that she was in a dress. Nagihiko stared at her blankly, who was just as stunned as she was. It occurred to Rima that 'Nadeshiko' didn't just _look_ like Nagihiko. She _was _a copy of Nagihiko. Bearing every single one of his physical traits. How Nobuko managed to pick that up before they did, she never knew.

'Nadeshiko' mouthed something, the tar-like substance still leaking out of his cut.

"_I won't forget this." _Like his 'Nadeshiko' voice, he spoke calmly, though his eyes seemed to tell a different story. He jumped and landed right into the clear surface of the glass case. He was gone. Nagihiko sank to his knees, trying to sort out what had just happened.

Too many things were whirling inside of Rima's head. Nadeshiko threatening Nobuko for information about her. Nagihiko's fast healing rate. How he managed to stun Nadeshiko. The strange black tar-like blood. And how Nadeshiko was actually a boy, and a copy of Nagihiko.

"You and the rest of Amu's servants….are ghosts, right?"

A small sigh was all she needed for confirmation.

* * *

Kukai held his foot back, staring down at the soccer ball before him. A large soccer net stood a couple of feet away from them. Ikuto and Tadase were watching him from a bench. Akki was also with them, his leash tied to a fence post. Tadase scratched the dog's ears and Ikuto held a small battery-powered fan to his face. While Nagihiko couldn't stand heat because of his fear of fire, Ikuto was simply very sensitive to extreme changes in temperature.

The soccer ball sailed through the air, landing right into the goal.

Kukai pumped his fist in the air, "Yes! Score one for Team Kukai!" Victory never felt so good right now.

"Who are you exactly competing with?" Ikuto was looking straight up at the sky, his head lolling against the bench.

"Myself," Kukai answered without skipping a beat, "Failure doesn't matter to Kukai."

Ikuto snorted, "What kind of answer is that?"

"My opinion." Competition was a great thrill of course, but Kukai could honestly care less. He wanted to overcome his limits, boundaries he knew he had yet could not see. Only until he crossed those boundaries would he be satisfied with his skills. After all, there was no point in having success, if your skills weren't recognized in one area.

"Won't Hinamori-san be mad if we're all out here? I mean, only Tsukasa-san is in the house."

"Don't worry about it. I doubt she would notice anyway." In all honesty, the reason why Kukai dragged them out here was to get out of the awkward tension back at the mansion. He held nothing against Amu's depression. Rather, he knew it was something he couldn't address. Same for the rest of them.

He placed his foot on top of the soccer ball. The reason was simple. They couldn't possibly comfort someone on an issue that may soon happen to them. It was a situation that he could only pray, hope, that someone out of the Hinamori mansion brings Amu back to her senses.

His foot connected with the soccer ball, but it didn't head for the soccer net as he had hoped. Instead, it flew to the corner of the soccer field, right over the fence. It bounced on the sidewalk, landing right at a girl's feet. Kukai ran over to her, soon joined later by his fellow ghosts.

"Sorry about that. I kind of lost concentration," he apologized.

The girl smiled politely, "It's okay." She had a dainty and an elegant figure, long black hair flowing behind her. Her figure looked so fragile that it gave off an impression she could break with a single poke. "Here you go." She handed back the soccer ball to Kukai. Even her fingers seemed delicate.

Tadase elbowed him in the side, "Kukai. Look at her eyes."

They were a piercing shade of amber, never wavering from their gaze. Just like Nagihiko.

"Are you guys new in town? I've never seen you three before."

"We live in the mansion." It didn't take long for the girl to realize what mansion they meant.

"The one on the hill? So I'm assuming you're family friends with the Hinamoris."

"Kind of."

She clapped her hands together, "Perfect. Personally, I'm not afraid of the tales around that house, but it's quite a journey to go there in the first place." She took out a tightly sealed envelope from her pocket, "A man gave this to me and said that there was someone in the Hinamori mansion I should meet."

Ikuto frowned, "Let me guess: was it a man in a long red coat?"

"Nope. It was one of the teachers in my school." The ghosts looked at each other. Another servant of the Phantom Lord they didn't know about? "It sounded like a trap so I thought it would be safe to check with the residences first." Her amber eyes looked the ghosts up and down, "But you guys seem to be perfectly harmless so maybe it wasn't a planned kidnapping attempt."

"Why do you want to go there?" Kukai wondered if the "man" told her that there was ghosts in the mansion.

"It's nothing much really. I just want to see this person. And have a talk with him if that's possible. Have you guys heard of Nagihiko Fujisaki?"

"Fujisaki?" Kukai was sure he heard that name before. It was a famous, well-known family name. But he wasn't sure where he heard it from.

"Fujisaki is my family name, and a large family that owns a chain of dance schools throughout Japan," the girl explained, "I'm currently the heir to the head of the Fujisaki Dance School. However, I wasn't intended to be in the first place. I wasn't part of the main family."

"The one before me….The current head's son who was to inherit his position when he became of age….is Nagihiko Fujisaki…who died a long time ago due to an accident. Which is why I suggest that you help me find him, partially because this is a family business, and also because I think my cousin rightfully deserves to know what's been going on in the Fujisaki household."

* * *

bishonen* = a "beautiful" male character in Japanese media. Physical traits are usually tall, slender, no fat, little muscle, androgynous, and no body or facial hair. Since the mid 1990's, this look has been the prime appearance for all teenage boys or young men in Japanese media. Examples are the five male main characters of Shugo Chara! (Ikuto, Tadase, Kukai, Nagihiko, and Kairi.)


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: **Apologies for the late update. I've been busy over the past few weeks. . Not to mention, I accidentally spilled juice on my keyboard, making the Space key really hard to use.

**Glyphs: **And there are also ones who are based off Rozen Maiden. Though they're not really as common as the ones you've listed. (Which I don't consider as that original as they're both written by the same author...but that's just me.)

I'm surprised very few people remember Sion. And even if she's in the story, she's either mentioned or just there. No love triangle business, which strikes me odd. At least from the ones I've read. I would add more filler characters, but the problem is that I can't just seem to find a role for them. :/ Maybe in my other fanfics.

And Nagihiko's arc is coming to a close very soon. Just bear with it for a few more chapters. ^ ^

**Maya: **I know, right? Not even Ikuto looks that masculine. :/ (Since he's a catboy.)

**Jillkun-ness: **I'll try to add more about Tadase in the future. ^ ^; (Though the most I can do at the moment is to explore more into the hints I've already given.)

* * *

Hitomi pressed her head against the door as the members of the Fujisaki family gathered in the large room reserved for family meetings. Her heart beat fast with anticipation at the thought of the news she was about to uncover. The family usually shared snacks and drinks while they talked about various things, yet still are able to keep a dignified posture no matter how many cups of sake they chugged down. She could see the shadows of each family member, which were easily identifiable to her now, since they always sat in the same seat.

"How is your daughter lately, Akio?" Hitomi heard the headmaster ask her father. Her father, Akio Fujisaki, was the brother of the headmaster's wife. Even though this made the head Hitomi's uncle, she was constantly reminded from a young age to always address him as "the Headmaster". Akio Fujisaki was often rumored to be the unluckiest of the family since he inherited the dance school in Harima. It was a common joke among the family members that Akio's house was the most haunted of all compared to their's.

"Her condition is getting better. Though it's always good to be cautious of things. We make sure that she never goes pass her limits during practice." Hitomi giggled silently, knowing that her father had no idea that she was currently eavesdropping on them when she should have been in bed. It was annoying how she was often treated delicately like a valuable object. Hoarding secret information about the family was her way of payback.

A sigh came from one of the family members, "I wish the same could be said for my child. He's such a workaholic. He would practice until he's practically sweating all over. Lots of practice is good, but it's quite tiring to get one of the servants to fetch him water and wipe him with a towel."

"But isn't that a good trait? After all, the heir acts just like that. I'm not so sure if it's to that point though, but I know he squeezes in practice whatever spare time he has."

The entire family muttered in agreement. But Hitomi tensed at the mention of the family heir. It was never brought up but the air always seemed to charge with tension at the mention of the heir, Nagihiko Fujisaki. Some sympathized with his situation, forced to disguise himself as a girl in public as to family tradition, and also had to deal with the pressure of being the next in line. Others envied him greatly, wishing their own child was the heir to the Fujisaki Dance School and not him.

Hitomi was fond of her cousin, for he was the only one who didn't treat her like an expensive vase. It hurt her deeply to see the family so divided when it came to him. She knew that the headmaster and his wife loved Nagihiko very much, but whenever she told him that, it never stopped his constant desire for them to spend one day like a normal family without the family business being brought up at all.

"Speaking of which, how is the heir doing? Your son?"

The voice was taunting, but the head pretended as if he didn't hear it.

"He's doing well. He made a few friends at his middle school. Seems as if he adapted well."

"Friends with them as Nadeshiko?"

Again, another taunting tone.

"….Yes."

Unable to stand it anymore, Hitomi quietly got up and went down the hallway. She was tired of it. Of hearing the same thing over and over again. She knew the family meant no ill will. They were just afraid that Nagihiko would forget the responsibility on his shoulders once someone accepted him as himself, not as Nadeshiko.

She stopped walking at the sound of laughter, which came from the wide open rock garden where her cousins were playing. They raced around the old cherry blossom tree, their hands outstretched to catch the falling petals. It was the only place in the Fujisaki main house where they could forget all worries and be normal kids. Hitomi glanced at each of her cousin's face, looking for Nagihiko. There was no sign of him anywhere. She continued walking down the hallway, having a slight idea where he was.

She stopped when she reached a large room with only a scroll hanging on the wall. Hitomi reached out and slid the thin door open, to see her favorite cousin in utmost concentration, his hand gently holding onto a paper fan. His feet moved gracefully across the floor, barely making a sound. Hitomi was in utter awe as she watched him danced. He was as graceful as a swan and stunning as a butterfly. One could hardly believe this was a boy dancing. When he ended his routine, she felt like clapping her hands together in light applause at marvel of his skill.

However, the look on Nagihiko face made her stop; washing away the feelings of admiration she felt before. He looked tired. As if he had been up all night practicing.

"Are you okay, young master?" The voice belonged to Baaya, one of the servants to the Fujisaki household.

"I'm okay. I just…." His masculine voice raised an octave to a more lady-like voice, "Can you get me some tea, Baaya-san?"

"Right away." Baaya got up from her seat in the room and headed for the door. Hitomi hid behind a wall, waiting until Baaya was completely out of sight. Seeing that the coast was clear, she snuck into the practice room to find her cousin untying his hair.

"Nagihiko." He looked up at the sound of his name, pocketing away his hairband.

He smiled weakly, "Hi, Hitomi-chan."

She took a seat next to him, "I saw you dance. You were great."

Nagihiko shrugged, "Not really. I think it still needs some more work."

"Don't say that. You _do _have potential to be a great dancer, Nagihiko. Everyone else is too busy fussing about your gender to realize it."

"Hm…." Her comments didn't seem to raise his spirits.

Hitomi sighed, "Stop worrying. Sometimes I wish you weren't so…" She trailed off, trying to find the proper word for it.

"…Wishy-washy?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, but more like you're too soft. Anyway, stop worrying about your gender conflicts. Look at the bright side. At least you're going to stop crossdressing soon."

"I know…It's just….Did you know that I'm going to Europe soon?"

She was surprised, "Europe? Why?"

"Mom says that they have good dance classes there and would be a chance for me to 'extend my horizons', according to her."

"Oh….So what about it?"

"I'm scared," he admitted, "About how to break to it her. Not to mention, I haven't even told her about my true gender yet."

"I've met her. I don't think she's going to take it that badly. She looks like the type who can accept people easily."

"Really? You've met her? I thought you would have been against our friendship."

She raised an eyebrow, "Why would I?"

"I was expecting that you thought I'm only being friends with her so I can forget Rima-chan."

"If that was true, I don't think you would have been able to befriend her."

He agreed, "True…I only befriended Amu-chan because she reminded me of her…The way they keep things to themselves…" Nagihiko suddenly fell back, looking upwards to the ceiling. His hand and his bangs covered part of his face, so Hitomi couldn't see his expression. "To be honest, I only approached her out of the desire to feel needed. But now that I've achieved that, I'm not sure what to think."

"…You know she has a reason. Otherwise, I don't think she would have left you in the first place."

He was unfazed, "I know that already. It still hurts though when I think about it."

* * *

"Are you sure you two haven't seen anything?"

A police officer was interrogating both Nagihiko and Rima outside the clothing store. Ami clutched onto Nagihiko's hand. Even though she wasn't there when Nadeshiko attacked, she was still frightened by what happened. Though no one was hurt, the store was seriously damaged. Windows broken, clothes scattered across the floor, and jewelry smashed to pieces. Sirens blared loudly as police cars were pulled over. Yellow tapes reading "Do Not Enter" were taped over the front doors of the store.

They glanced at each other and shook their heads, "Nope."

The police officer nodded, "I see. Thanks for your time." He stopped when he notice the bloody scar on Nagihiko's stomach, "My god! What happened to you?"

"Someone tried to make off with my money but ended up slashing me," Nagihiko said with a straight face.

"Should I call an ambulance? That looks pretty bad."

"No. I'm fine."

"If you say so." The policeman walked off to talk to the other witnesses. Nagihiko unconsciously brought his hand to his stomach, lightly touching the spot where Nadeshiko attacked him. He could still feel the pain even though he knew it would heal eventually.

Rima faced him, "Are you really okay? You still look like you're in pain."

"I told you, I'm fine. I can't be killed that easily anyway."

"Nagihiko!" He saw Kukai, Tadase, and Ikuto running towards him. They made their way through the crowd as they approached him. Akki was with them too, whom Ami hugged as soon as she saw him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Nagihiko wondered if the incident at the store made it to the news.

"We heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"I am."

Kukai wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "Geez, don't worry us like that! We were afraid something happened to you!"

He smiled sheepishly, "You're partially right."

The other ghosts looked to see Rima standing at the side, who stared back at them blankly. Kukai and Tadase immediately jumped and hid behind Ikuto, who happened to be the tallest person there.

"W-Why is the exorcist here?"

"Because I was there when the attack happened," Rima replied. She noticed Ikuto, "Huh? I don't remember seeing you before."

Nagihiko introduced him, "That's Ikuto. He's not really much of a talker."

For some reason, Rima stared at him intensely, as if she was put off by something.

"….I see. Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"Nagihiko? Is that you?"

A girl came up from behind them, her amber eyes wide with surprise. Nagihiko frowned. Did he meet this girl before? He struggled to remember. The only thing he could conjure up was the feeling of family-like attachment to this girl.

She pointed at herself, "Do you remember me? It's Hitomi-chan."

"Hitomi-chan…." His eyebrows shot up in recognition, "…My cousin?"

Hitomi smiled, "Yes. It's been so long." She turned to Rima, "If you don't mind, Mashiro-san, I'll have to talk to him for a couple of minutes."

"Go ahead." Despite the tone of her voice, the wavering look in her eyes gave away her disappointment.

Nagihiko glanced at Rima, a part of him wanting to stay a little bit longer. Yet he was curious about his family, and what had happened to them ever since his death. He hoped that his parents were okay and not much of the Fujisaki family was in disarray.

* * *

"_This evening someone attacked a Beams store, causing almost a million yen's worth of property damage. Witnesses say that it was a girl carrying a naginata. The police suspect it was the same person who stole the naginata at the Harima Archaeological Museum. Luckily, no injuries were reported."_

Raiden watched in silence as the news reporter move onto news about the latest developed android in Osaka. He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think Nadeshiko would pull such an aggressive move. But I guess it's because she's becoming desperate."

"Who's becoming desperate?"

Raiden suddenly felt something sharp touching his throat, ready to pierce it. He glanced to his side to see Utau standing next to him, holding out her trident like a poised hunter. A red butterfly fluttered about behind her.

"And here I was hoping that I would go through one day without having a weapon at my throat…."

Utau lightly pressed her trident deeper into his throat, "I'll say it again. 'Who's becoming desperate?'"

"Even if I tell you who, it wouldn't be the person's true name."

Impatience flared in her violet eyes, "Stop playing mysterious. Just answer the question."

Raiden would've shrugged had Utau's trident not been in the way, "It's the truth. Besides, I don't think there's a point in telling you because this person has no connection to you." When he saw the surprised look on her face, he continued, "Isn't it true, Utan? You're only interested in information that's relevant to you."

"I don't have time for your riddles," Utau snapped, "I came to you because I have some things to ask you."

Raiden pretended to yawn, "Another interrogation? Geez, you really hate me don't you?"

"The entire human race does," she replied without hesitation. Utau lowered her trident down, just slightly. "Lately, Amu's been acting weird and was absent from school for a few days. Also, there are rumors going around concerning Mashiro. Are you behind any of them?" Her tone was threatening, demanding for information.

"I'm hurt. You just go right to the conclusion that I'm the cause of all of that? Without any proof?"

"Who else would stir up so much trouble?"

"For your information, I have nothing to do with Hinamori's behavior as it was all her own doing, not mine. As for the rumors regarding the little priestess….those were someone else's doing." Even though he was smiling, bitterness didn't fail on creeping its way into his heart. He secretly wished he had orchestred all of those events. Things would have been more fun for him that way.

She remained suspicious, "Is that the truth?"

"Fine. I'll give you two hints. One: Some of the rumors surrounding the Hinamori mansion might actually be true. Two: Some of the little priestess' old enemies might have something to do with the rumors. Happy?"

"Hmph." But Utau seemed to ease a little. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to work out the hints he gave her. After a couple of minutes, she gave up, shaking her head in frustration. "Forget it. I'm leaving."

Raiden stopped her, "Hold it. You didn't answer my question. I said that you were only interested in information regarding you, but now you just asked if I was involved in two other peoples' business. Why should you care? They have nothing to do with your brother."

"You-" Utau whirled around with a snarl, aiming her trident for his head. However, Raiden simply stepped aside, the trident striking thin air.

"Maybe the headstrong idol has finally turned soft. Or maybe you are becoming distracted from your goal."

"I'm still determined to find my brother," Utau said with absolute certainty, "I just can't forgive people who toy with others' lives for fun. Manipulating them to do their dirty work…Hurting the ones they love the most….Forcing them to make decisions that would destroy them in the end…I can't forgive those kinds of people." Her eyes were filled with absolute loathing as she stared into Raiden's own, "Mashiro's fate is tied to freeing this town from its cycle of darkness, but I, as a demon hunter, will slay the Phantom Lord and send him off to his grave."

The edges of Raiden's smile twitched with amusement, "You? Slay the Phantom Lord? Don't make me laugh. Even the little priestess is no match for my Lord. Your powers are far too weak to even stand up against him." Despite his words, the thought interested him. The Phantom Lord dead….His heart filled up with glee. But he knew Utau could never be the one to take down the Phantom Lord. He could only be defeated by a power that she and Rima would never access. A power that was strong enough to dethrone him...

"Anyway, I admit that I've changed my priorities. I'm putting aside the search for my brother until everything's settled. Too much is going on, I don't know a thing, and I don't like it."

Raiden chuckled, "Fine. In return for your touching speech, I'll give you this photo of the culprit behind the rumors."

Utau shot him a look, "Are you high?"

"Nonsense. Drugs don't affect me. Though anything with caffeine tastes quite fine, I might add." He placed a slip of paper in her hand, "Do what you will with it. I'm not involving myself in this case."

Her eyes went wide with shock upon unfolding the paper. It was a photo of a group of girls walking down the school hallway. "This is…"

"That's right. The same girls who-"He didn't get to finish as Utau immediately ran off, towards the direction of the store. Raiden pouted.

"You didn't even let me finish."

* * *

"There were crows flying everywhere…" Nobuko said with a grand gesture, "The sky was dark and you could hear a clap of thunder in the distance. The only thing that stood out was the glow of streetlights and the full moon up above. Then, the notes of a sad violin melody danced across the winds. I looked around for the source of the sound. At the silhouette of large house against the moonlight, I was sure I could spot the figure of someone standing on the roof, playing a violin."

She was sitting in the living room of the Hinamori mansion, resting a cup of tea in her hands. The ghosts and Rima were there also, the ghosts fidgeting restlessly while the exorcist took a sip from her cup of hot chocolate. They all exchanged looks while Nobuko continued on with her story.

"_Why are we even here?"_ The only ones actually interested in Nobuko's story were Ami and Akki, who stared at her intently. Ikuto sunk low in his armchair, bored. For some reason, after running into the insane fortuneteller, she decided on their own to talk to them over a cup of tea. And to talk at their mansion because she was afraid "he" would come back again.

"I was feeling weak in the knees, my eyelids drooping sleepily. The notes were sad yet it made me feel very tired. I didn't know why. It was as if my strength was being sucked out of me. I struggled to lift up my head, just to see a dozen of glowing orbs surrounding the town. It was like seeing a bunch of fireflies on one summer night. Yet I had a hunch they weren't fireflies. But then another light appeared which shone brighter than the rest. It was a column of light shooting down from the sky next to the house and I could see four-"

"Are you even sure it was a nightmare?" Rima asked, "It sounds more like some crazy dream."

Nobuko was not fazed, "Ah….It was only a nightmare because I knew I was looking through someone else's eyes and not my own."

"Uh huh…" Rima was still skeptical.

"But I guess I did go a little too off topic," Nobuko said thoughtfully, "Anyway, the reason why I am here is because my sixth sense detected a strange surge a couple of days ago. Do you guys know what that was about?" She took a sip, smacking her lips loudly as she waited for an answer.

"Are you talking about Kairi's disappearance?" Kukai asked.

Rima frowned, "What about Kairi?" Realizing what he had said, Kukai swiftly clasped his hands over his mouth.

Tadase covered up for him, "What Kukai means that if Saeki-sensei sensed where Kairi's presence was since he's been missing for the past few days."

Nobuko sniffed, "I don't know why you guys are hiding it from her. It's not as if she's going to tell anyone."

"But she's an-"

"-An exorcist," Rima finished, "Boohoo. Just so you know, I have absolutely no interest in weeding out the entire race of ghosts in this town. So you can either relax or continue to distrust me."

Ikuto shrugged when his fellow ghost friends looked at him for advice. The way he saw it, it wouldn't have mattered either way. Though choosing to trust the exorcist's words would probably be a great benefit to them. Maybe she would know something about why Amu was gathering pile of ashes from the fireplace.

Nobuko was the first to break the silence, "So is it true that ghost disappeared?"

"…..Yes."

"Hm. Well, it was bound to happen anyway." Even Ikuto flinched when she said that. Rima's eyebrows scrunched together, seemingly wanting to say something but kept her mouth shut.

"It's the truth. Though it surprises me that his time came so quickly. Then again, it's different for every ghost."

Tadase was interested, "It is?"

"Yes. It depends on how much of their memories they recovered and when they started regretting things." Nobuko then tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Actually, that reminds me. The reason why I wanted to talk to you is about this little theory I have."

"Theory?" everyone asked in unison.

"It's nothing really that philosophical. Just a food for your thoughts if you will. Have you noticed that there are more demons than ghosts in this town?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I have," said Rima.

"Also, have you ever seen other ghosts beside yourselves?" Nobuko asked the Paranormal Attendants."

"We…see them in the spirit world?" Kukai said it as if it were a question.

"No. I mean as in have ever met one face-to-face in the human world?" The ghosts looked at each other, at a loss for words. They've never thought about it before.

"See? It can't be a coincidence." She took another sip of her tea, "My theory is that the reason is because ghosts are not entirely here because of last regrets they had before death."

Both Rima and the ghosts leaned forward in their seats, now interested, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that the high percentage of demons in Harima means that a lot of ghosts turned into them once exposed to the human world. A human's soul becomes a ghost because of lingering regrets. But because of those feelings, most cannot survive amongst the living. Yet you five managed to last a couple of weeks. And able to have a physical imprint on this world to boot."

"Your point is…?"

She ignored the question, "You serve the Phantom Lord, right? Tell me, how much truth do you think there was in his words when he told that you were to become servants to the Hinamori family?"

A stunned silence followed her words. It took a moment for it to register completely in the ghosts' minds. Was she suggesting that they had been set up?

"B-But I saw other ghosts training as well," Tadase stuttered.

"I admit there's a history of ghosts serving humans. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. But because ghosts can't stand watching other people go about their lives while their's just stopped, the number has dropped dramatically. However, not all ghosts become servants to a human. Some are just left to wander the human world as they wish. Why do you think that is?"

"Because not all of them were capable?" Kukai guessed.

"Probably. And what I found out was that most of the humans the ghosts served were connected to the supernatural. In other words, Paranormal Attendants, the Phantom Lord made you serve Amu Hinamori because he fears her."

A stunned silence followed her words as she continued to babble on, "Though I have no idea why. Hinamori's powers are sealed and incredibly weakened because she's a human."

"What happens if-" Tadase's question was cut off when a sudden rumble shook the entire house. Out of fear and surprise, everyone held on to a piece of furniture as the ground shook. No one understood what was going on. It couldn't be an earthquake. Earthquakes weren't common in Harima.

Suddenly, the ground was still, the rumbling noise gone. Though all of their legs were still shaking from the impact.

Nobuko frowned, "Strange. I felt a wave of energy just now." Rima stared at her oddly, her facial expression hinting that she knew something they didn't.

"From where?" she asked.

"I think from below us. Is anyone down there?"

"My sis," Ami replied, "She's been hanging out there lately."

"Where's the basement?"

"Next to the staircase near the front door."

Without another word, Rima rushed out of the living room, her eyes wide with fear. Ikuto stepped forward to follow her until Nobuko stopped him.

"Don't worry. I don't think your mistress is in grave danger. Whatever it is Mashiro can take care of it."

Ikuto frowned, "You don't think Amu was behind that earthquake?"

She shrugged, "It's possible. She's not exactly herself right now, is she?"

Even though Ikuto didn't want to believe Amu would do such a thing, he couldn't help but agree with her.

* * *

Amu checked if everything was in place.

A pile of a dark ashy substance sat in the middle of the basement, which Amu cleared for the ceremony. A circle of glyphs was written on the ground with a piece of chalk. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Yet she was still hesitant.

She shook her head furiously. Why was she hesitating? Nothing bad would come out of this. Just Kairi coming back to life. She looked back at the book, her eyes staring at the last step listed on the page.

"_The resurrection process is a trade. For bringing a human back to the living requires something of equal value. Something that's enough to sustain the balance of the world once the person crosses from the other side to this world."_

Amu's fingers were clenched around a knife, a tool that would help her make the sacrifice needed. Fear seized her heart the second she stepped forward to the pile.

She wasn't afraid of giving a sacrifice. No. She was afraid it wasn't going to work, and something else would come out of this instead. Something that she may soon come to regret for the rest of her life.

She lifted her finger, gently pressing the knife against it. A small sting of pain told her that it worked. Taking the knife away, a small drop of blood oozed out of the cut she formed and dropped to the pile. She watched as its color went from a bright scarlet to a deep crimson. Satisfied, she stepped back and looked at the book.

"Place your hands on the magic circle," Amu read out loud. She placed her hands on the edge of the circle, "Now repeat the phrase: 'Ye dead corpse awaken and arise from the dust. For I shall open your grave, the Earth giving birth to ye departed soul. Rise, one with no flesh! For I am ready to exchange my very being to feed thy hunger.'" She stopped, _"Wait. 'My very being'? Doesn't that mean-"_

The ground suddenly shook beneath her, a column of light shooting out of the center of the circle. She desperately tried to keep her balance, her eyes squinting from the harsh glare of the light. She saw crackles of energy circling the pile of ash as it swayed from side to side.

Then the rumble stopped, the light still glowing from the magic circle. The crackles of energy vanished and the ash stopped moving. Did the ceremony stopped working? Then the light suddenly turned a malicious purple, the crackles of energy springing back to life, growing bigger and bigger. A shiver went down Amu's spine. The ceremony was going right yet something was awfully wrong.

That was when tentacles emerged from the pile, wrapping around Amu's arm. She could swear that her arm was deteriorating, the tentacle slowly eating away. Her brain told her to get away but she was too paralyzed to move. A scream was caught in her throat, unable to make its way out.

"_Stop….Please stop…."_

A loud screech rung in her ears as if in response to her thoughts. The tentacles jerked away from her arm, startled from the noise. Amu noticed that it was being dragged back into a glowing portal that opened up in the center of the circle. She watched both out of fear and awe as it was being sucked up, its scream bouncing off the walls of the basement.

The portal vanished, along with the moving tentacles. The only thing that remained was a rotting smell and the magic circle. A deep mark on the floor rubbed off the letters written at the edge of the magic circle. Amu gently touched one of them. It felt as it was recently formed and by something sharp.

"What do you think you were doing?"

The voice belonged to Rima, who was standing above Amu, her arms folded across her chest.

"Rima….? Why are you here?"

"I should be asking you that question." Rima kicked the ground, sending a cloud of chalk dust flying. "I scratched out some of the glyphs, cancelling the ceremony. The crucial point in conducting a spell is if the magic circle is written correctly."

Even though Rima was an exorcist, Amu knew there was no way she could know that much about occult. "How did you-"

"What were you thinking?"

Amu flinched, "Huh?"

Anger flashed in Rima's eyes, "Don't play dumb with me! I know that you were trying to resurrect Kairi! Do you honestly think you were doing him any favors by trying to bring him back to life?"

She began to argue, "But you-"

"Right. I don't know anything. I only knew Kairi for a few days. But I know no dead person would appreciate being brought back to the world of living."

Amu fell silent. She had nothing to say against _that_. She looked back to the center of the room, remembering what the pile had transformed to. A grotesque human-like creature with tentacles flailing out of its back. She clutched the edges of her skirt. The ceremony had failed. And she almost got killed doing it too.

"What am I suppose to do now?"

Rima snorted, "That's obvious. Stand up and stop spending your time in this place."

"But what if you can't?" All of her emotions were spilling out of her at this point, making her voice louder than she intended, "What if the reason you can't stand up isn't just because you're sad over someone's death? What if it's because you're afraid? Because even if you stand up, you'll still end up losing someone else. What's the point of standing up when you're going to be knocked over anyway?"

The anger on Rima's face faded, replaced with heartfelt sympathy. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Then why did you help me? Why did you help me even if you didn't know the answer?"

"Because I made the same damn mistake years ago!"

A period of silence followed her words as Rima avoided her gaze. Amu was stunned, unable to come up with a proper response.

"W-What?"

"I said I made the same damn mistake." Her hands were clenched in fists, her locks of butterscotch hair brushed against as her face as she lowered her head. "Granted, I was tricked into doing the ceremony…But that doesn't change the fact I still believed him."

* * *

Rima placed her hands on the magic circle. She could feel her powers coursing through her veins. Perfect.

"_So ironic. Me, an exorcist, bringing someone back from the dead."_

"Ye dead corpse awaken and arise from the dust. For I shall open your grave, the Earth giving birth to ye departed soul. Rise, one with no flesh! For I am ready to exchange my very being to feed thy hunger."

Like a row of dominoes, each glyph on the outer edge of the magic circle lit up, a strong wind filling the room. The pile of ash started to shake violently, as if roused awake by the magic. The room started to shake as well, objects sliding off tables and shelves. Rima was sure the commotion was loud enough for even her parents to notice. Her arms were starting to shake, the effort to let the magic flow from her fingers exhausting her.

"_Come on!" _she prayed, _"Where is the power of the head priestess when you need it?"_

In response to her thoughts, the magic circle glowed brighter than ever before. Relief filled Rima's heart. It was working!

But that relief was soon replaced with worry as the light changed from a bright green to a dark purple. Rima watched in horror as the pile of ash grew bigger and bigger, to the height of an average human. Two arms shot out of its sides and a head slowly formed at the top of the pile. Rima lifted a hand to her mouth to keep herself from hurling.

It was a big mistake. The thing fell onto the floor, twitching. Its hand was stretched out, struggling to reach out and touch her.

"R-Rima-chan…."

Its tone was filled with affection when it stated her name but it slashed through her heart with terror. She felt her eyelids drooping sleepily, the magic flowing from her hands weakening. The thing stopped as it noticed the magic entering the magic circle was fading. Rima fell over, moving away from the magic circle. It was becoming too much for her to handle.

"Rima!"

She heard the voices of her parents as they ran over to her. She felt one of them wrap her arms around her, surrounding her with warmth she had long forgotten. She heard the voice of her father talking rapidly into his cellphone, calling for help. Rima looked to her side to see the thing move into the shadows, the remains of magic still crackling around its body.

The ceremony had both succeeded and failed in bringing him back.

* * *

Amu stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. She could see the coat of white paint breaking away and fading. She would have to ask one of the ghosts to paint it over.

Rima had left after her surprising confession. Amu remembered her words before she left.

"_The ceremony both succeeded and failed. And I sacrificed a good chunk of my powers."_

Amu didn't want to know what would've happened to her if she went ahead with the ceremony. That thing wasn't human. Since she had no magical powers, the one thing she would've sacrificed would be her life.

She slowly rose up from her bed. _"What do I do now?"_ she asked herself. There was no point in trying the ceremony again. But she didn't know how to face the others. Too many emotions were boiling inside of her, guilt over Kairi's disappearance, fear of the others' disappearance, and confusion over what she should do.

"_Wait….How did I got over Kairi's death in the first place?" _Amu recalled purposefully spending time with friends to chase her memories of Kairi out of her head and replace them with new ones. No….There was another factor too. She racked her brain, struggling to remember.

"_Huh? You don't remember him, Amu? You know, that boy that was a demon hunter."_

That was it! She remembered waking up one day and couldn't recall where she got the plaid case from. Heck, she couldn't even remember the face of the person who gave it to her. But why? There was no way someone could lose their memories of someone so fast over a short period of time. She tried again, hoping to recover more memories.

"_There's this temple I want to show you, Amu-chan. Wanna come?"_

Amu stopped. Weird. Whose voice was that? It didn't sound like anyone familiar. She vaguely remembered holding a small amulet in her hand. The same one she had with the words: "Matching" on it. And also someone else holding the same amulet as her's. The voice sounded like it belonged to a girl. What was her name again? Na…..something.

"Na….Na….Na….Nadeshiko?"

"You called?"

Amu yelped as a girl materialized in the window. Her ponytail seemed to sway in an imaginary breeze. She rubbed her eyes vigorously to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"N-Nadeshiko?"

Nadeshiko smiled, "That's me."

"But how? You're….You're not supposed to be here!" Amu knew she had to be dead. There was no way a human could appear in a window.

She shrugged, "Well, I'm not exactly human right now." Nadeshiko floated in mid-air while in a sitting position. A strange sparkle shone in her amber eyes, "I was wondering, have you heard about the rumors surrounding Rima Mashiro at your school?"

"I think I've heard of it…Wait, how do you know this?"

"Does Ri-I mean-Mashiro-san have any enemies?" Nadeshiko asked, ignoring her question.

"Enemies…? Well, a lot of girls in her class used to hate her but things pretty much settled down now."

"Did any take extreme actions against her?"

"There are the ones who stole her gag manga to provoke her…."

Nadeshiko smiled an especially bright and sunny smile, "Thanks, Amu-chan. I'm sorry but I have to leave now."

"Huh? So soon? But I haven't-Hey! Wait!"

Nadeshiko was already gone, Amu's own reflection staring back at her. She scratched her head in confusion. It seemed like she was only her to ask about Rima. But why? As far as her memory served, Amu knew she never met Rima since they were in the same school.

"_Come to think of it, her hair and eyes look just like Nagihiko's…Isn't that too much of a coincidence? Unless…"_

She rushed out of her room to find Tadase coming up the stairs with a broom. Even for a ghost he looked exhausted.

"Tadase-kun, do you know where Nagihiko is?"

"He went off with his cousin to talk about something."

"Oh…..Wait? Cousin?"

Tadase smiled sheepishly, "It's a long story."

"Does she know he's a ghost?"

"Probably. She didn't look surprised when she saw him."

"Hm…..What's her family name?"

"I think it was Fujisaki. You know, the one who owns a chain of Japanese dance schools."

"_Ah hah!"_ Nadeshiko's family name was also Fujisaki. "Thanks, Tadase-kun." Not giving him time to reply, Amu ran down the stairs for the front door.

"Hinamori-san, where are you going? Hinamori-san!" Tadase's shouts were lost to her when she made it to the first floor.

"I'll be back soon!" she yelled over her shoulder. She was so stupid. All the time sulking about Kairi had made her forgot all about the other Paranormal Attendants. She couldn't afford to lose one of them again.

* * *

She ran through the streets, dodging many people in her way as smoothly as she could. Some stared at her in surprise as she ran past them. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest from the adrenaline. She frantically looked over her shoulder every so often to check the progress of her pursuer.

A flash of a blonde pigtail encouraged her to run faster. Utau Hoshina sure didn't know when to give up. But she knew how scary she could be when angered.

She spotted a crowd of people up ahead. She ducked behind them, crouching down to her knees so she wouldn't be seen. She held her breath, praying that Utau would be fooled.

Utau ran right past her, not even once glancing in her direction. From the look on her face, she looked like she had no clue where she had gone. She let out a sigh of relief. Once Utau was out of sight, she took out her cellphone and punched in several digits.

"Hello?...Yes, it's Amaya. Hoshina-san found out….I don't know. She just came up to me and asked if I was the one who spread the rumors….I didn't tell anyone! Maybe one of you guys blew our cover!" Out of frustration, Ayama hung up. How dare they think she was the one who exposed their plan!

Ayama sighed, leaning her back against the mailbox. The crowd that provided her cover was gone. But it didn't matter. Utau was no longer here. Dusting off the seat of her skirt, she stood up and slowly walked down the sidewalk. She wanted to make sure Utau wasn't walking back up the sidewalk looking for her.

She stopped in front of a narrow pathway between two stores. It led to a stop on the black fence lined up against the canal. The shadow of the two buildings provided excellent shade and their structure made it impossible to approach the place from the side. This was supposed to be their meeting place.

Ayama frowned. Something felt off.

"Guys? You there?" she called as she peered into the darkness. No one answered back. Ayama took a step forward. "Guys?" she tried again, "Okay, this is getting creepy; you can stop playing games now." She felt her foot slightly brush against something. "Huh….?"She looked down to see a shoe partially covered in blood.

"Ah!" Ayama quickly drew back with a frightened yelp. That couldn't be…..? Fearfully, she looked up slowly to see who it was.

Honoka, one of her classmates, was propped up against the wall, her head lolling. A gaping bloody wound was on her leg. Ayama could tell from the dull light in her eyes and the whiteness of her skin that she was already dead.

"W-What is this?" Shivering, she could see other girls slumping against the wall, having various bloody wounds on their bodies that lead to their deaths. Puddles of their blood stained the cement floor. Cold sweat dripped down Ayama's face. How did this happen?

"Oh? I missed one?"

Ayama jumped, "Who's there?"

"Right behind you."

She whirled around to see a tall girl with her violet hair tied up in a ponytail. She was holding a naginata in her hands, its blade covered in blood. Ayama backed away until she found herself against the wall.

"W-What do you want?"

"You were one of them, weren't you?" the girl asked, leaning forward, "The ones who started the rumors and the ones who harmed Rima-chan."

"I-It wasn't my idea! I swear! We were only talking about Mashiro until Nikaidou-sensei showed up-"

"I don't give a damn about that, bitch." The polite and graceful features on the girl's face shattered at once when her lips curved upwards into a psychotic smile. "It doesn't change the fact you were involved."

Ayama fell to her knees, pleading, "Please spare me! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again, I promise!"

The girl didn't seem to be paying attention to her, holding her naginata up high, "Normally, I would be sorry too…But I'm doing this to prove that I'm just as real as he is."

* * *

_Splat!_

Nikaidou made a face as he scuffed the bottom of his shoes against the sidewalk. It left a bloody mark. He sighed. This was just great. He didn't want to be questioned by his co-workers about why there was blood on the bottom of shoes. He looked at the bloody pathway, staring at the newly killed body of a girl lying facedown on the concrete. He knew Nadeshiko was probably the cause of this. Nikaidou was also aware of her behavior. He noticed that she was slowly becoming more rebellious, refusing to follow orders and acting on her own.

"If I'm right, it's probably going to try to impersonate him next."

"Stop right there!"

Hearing his name, Nikaidou whistled, "Time to go." Just as he was about to walk away, a strong gust of wind sent him flying, causing him to land faceflat on the cement. Hard. He sat up, rubbing his nose in pain, "Ow…." His other hand grabbed hold of his glasses….Only to find them fractured.

"_This is just great. There's no way I'm going back to work looking like this."_

His eyesight coming into focus, he saw a teenage girl standing before him, her hands on her hips. Her blonde eyebrows were scrunched together in a glare, her violet eyes almost penetrating.

"You know I can sue you for abuse. And since you've quit the entertainment industry, no attorney is going to care whether or not you're a celebrity."

Utau snorted, "Like hell I care. You know why I'm here."

Nikaidou tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully, "Let me guess….It's definitely not about today's assignment is it?"

"2 points. Now when are you going to drop that stupid teacher act?"

He laughed, "Ahahaha. What are you talking about, Hoshina-san?"

"It was kind of obvious. Seriously, what kind of teacher would be _that _klutzy?"

A dark blast of energy was sent flying at Utau, who immediately blocked it with her trident, pushing her back several feet by the force. Nikaidou took the chance to stand up, dusting himself off.

"At least I'm don't toy with people like Raiden. I only act different because I don't want anyone to suspect a thing." Then his tone became more serious, his face twisting into a dark smirk, "And I would kindly ask if you do not _dare _to provoke me again. That attack just now was me going easy on you. Next time won't be so easy."

"You son of a-" Utau suddenly fell down, her limbs glued to the floor. She struggled to get up, only for her to fall back down.

"What did you-"

"In case you didn't know, I am acquainted with the Phantom Lord. So therefore, all of Harima, which is his territory, are also under my control." Just as he was walking past, Utau's hand shot out to grab hold of his leg. Nikaidou looked down at her in disgust.

"Let go."

"You're not getting away with this."

He kicked her hand away, "I'd like to see you guys try." He admitted that he feared their powers for some time. Most of all, Amu. But considering how she easily fell to depression since Kairi's disappearance, he had worried over nothing.

* * *

**A/N: **I _am _planning to write off all of the ghosts, whether or not they vanish or become a demon. Since this story isn't really full of bubbles and sparkles...Hopefully no one misinterprets this as me being a cruel author or whatever.


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